


The Iron Knight: City of Carinthia

by topdawg27



Series: The Iron Knight [3]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Medieval, BAMF Pepper Potts, BAMF Tony Stark, F/M, Pepper Potts Is a Good Bro, Tony Stark Has Issues, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-11
Updated: 2017-11-22
Packaged: 2019-02-01 00:43:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 31,690
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12693513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/topdawg27/pseuds/topdawg27
Summary: This is Phase 3 of the Iron Knight saga: Tony and Pepper's 2nd adventure together.Tony and Pepper have some issues to sort out. But Happy comes to them with a quest. There is something evil going on in the City of Carinthia. A stranger has dethroned the king and taken over the city. Our heroes travel there to investigate.Character's internal monologues are show in italics.Depends on The Iron Knight: Lord and Lady (first work in this series). Please read the 1st part to understand this Story. https://archiveofourown.org/works/12511824/chapters/28488280





	1. Carinthia's Troubles

**Author's Note:**

> Another adventure begins!
> 
> I've upped the violence in this adventure of Tony and Pepper. Hence the change in rating.
> 
> Also, quotes at the beginning of each chapter, are now from Confucius.
> 
> I'd like to dedicate this adventure to all you readers, who have been so kind and wonderful with your support for this saga. The highlight of my morning is opening my email to see a Kudos or Favorite or Comment on my simple take of Pepperony.
> 
> My heart is ever at your service.
> 
> Marvel, thank you for creating Iron Man and Pepper Potts, so we can use them in our literary imaginations. We are just humbly representing them in a different form. You own everything.

Another adventure begins!

I've upped the violence in this adventure of Tony and Pepper.

Also, quotes at the beginning of each chapter, are now from Confucius.

I'd like to dedicate this adventure to all you readers, who have been so kind and wonderful with your support for this saga. The highlight of my morning is opening my email to see a Kudos or Favorite or Comment on my simple take of Pepperony.

_**My heart is ever at your service.** _

Marvel, thank you for creating Iron Man and Pepper Potts, so we can use them in our literary imaginations. We are just humbly representing them in a different form. You own everything.

* * *

_Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated - Confucius_

Spring was a peaceful time for Stark Keep and the village. The villagers were content with the influx of trade and good fortune. They were also happy with their new de facto leaders, aka Tony and Pepper. From the designs for a new town center to the syllabus for the school, these two were consulted in every village matter, be it big or small.

However, an unfortunate barrier had sprung up between Tony and Pepper, after their moonlight dance in the East Wing salon. It was all thanks to Tony. He was determined to avoid being alone with Pepper at all costs. Happy's presence was insisted upon, for all sparring lessons. He had changed his schedule and now slept in late and would stay up all night, knowing that Pepper was an early to bed, early to rise person.

When Pepper asked him to broaden her training, he instead delegated it completely to Happy and started taking secretive trips on his own with Tigliath. She was hurt and confused by his behavior. She wondered whether it was because, he could sense her growing attachment to him and he didn't want to reciprocate her feelings.

But she didn't know how to confront him. She didn't want to admit her feelings to herself, either. So instead, she started spending more time with the village womenfolk and Aland, whom she developed an easygoing friendship with.

He was a very nice man and while she greatly missed Tony's company, she appreciated the relaxing time, she spent with Aland. They would go horseback riding and flower picking, often with other couples from the village.

This state of affairs continued until the 3rd month of Spring.

* * *

Pepper was practicing her archery all alone, in the yard behind the east wing. She assumed Tony was on one of his solitary rides, because as usual, he was nowhere to be found. She heard huffing and wheezing close by, and smiled.

_Happy's here, exhausted from running up the hill again... I wonder why he is in a hurry._

Sure enough, Happy rounded the corner with an anxious expression on his face. "Tony, Tony, we need to talk. You were right about..."

He stopped abruptly, seeing Pepper there. And tried to assume an air of nonchalance.

"Hey Pep. You've seen Tony around? Wanted to catch up with him."

Pepper wasn't fooled at all.

"What's going on, Happy? What has happened, what is Tony right about?"

He looked at her with unease. He had the same expression as Tigliath had whenever she caught him eating from the kitchen's rubbish bin.

He hemmed a bit and then hawwed and she finally said, "Happy, please tell me what's going on."

"My cousin has come from Carinthia with grave news. We three need to talk. Come, let's ride, I know where Tony is."

* * *

Tony was lying down in a grassy meadow, amongst the daisies, situated on the western side of the keep. Far away from the lake and the village. Pepper didn't know this area, so he felt relieved in knowing that she wouldn't come here.

He idly chewed on a blade of grass. Balthazar was nearby, grazing peacefully. Tigliath was busy snoozing in the grass.

_It's so calm out here. I can forget about the world, the Keep, the village. I can forget about the flame. I can forget about my parents, Stane..._

Out of nowhere, a blue butterfly flitted across his view, choosing to perch on a daisy nearby.  _Such a lovely shade of blue. Deep, deep, sea blue._

 _Remind you of someone?_  Chortled the dragon. The beast then began to hum,  _Da da... da daa, hmmmm...Once upon a dream..._

Tony scowled. The dragon couldn't resist needling him about Pepper and that moonlit night in the salon. He was playing a horrible tug of war with himself, regarding his feelings about Pepper. He did not want to accept that he had feelings for her in the first place.

 _And I'm not going to think about her and Aland either._ The name made him tense.

 _How typical, Anthony... you keep saying you do not want Pepper but you do not want Aland to have her either._ Snorted the dragon. _So, so childish._

He closed his eyes, willing himself to forget about Pepper, along with everything else.  _Just relax._

The sound of approaching riders made him straighten up and he reached for his sword. Then he scowled.

_Pepper. Just whom I'm trying not to think about._

When they dismounted, Pepper looked around the meadow with joy. Tony couldn't help but smile at her expression.  _She looks so pretty. Especially amongst the daisies._

Pepper looked at him and smiled back sweetly. For a minute, he forgot he was trying to stay away from her and kept smiling.

Then he remembered and looked away.

"What is it, Happy?" he growled, suddenly wishing they hadn't come here.

"Sir, you were right about Carinthia. My cousin Jerald reached our village just now, with his family. They had to leave. The new Queen wants the land for herself."

Tony grimaced. He had hoped his fears would remain fears and not turn into reality.

Pepper looked between the two men, confused. "Can someone please explain to me, what is going on?"

Happy said, "My cousin, Jerald, is the head farmer of a small community of barley farmers on the outskirts of the city of Carinthia. The city is prosperous and ruled by a kind and just ruler, King Jon. He had a good relationship with my cousin's community."

"But it appears the King has been dethroned and the new ruler, a queen, wants the land for herself. Yesterday her guards kicked Jerald and his family out of their homes and burned everything down. Even their crops."

Pepper was shocked. "Are they all right?"

Happy nodded. "They aren't physically hurt but the shock of losing their homes...It wasn't just them. The Queen's guards are clearing the entire countryside in a bloody, violent manner. They have kicked out numerous farmers and destroyed an entire season's crops without a care."

"The people of the inner city are also scared. The queen has raised their taxes overnight and is demanding additional tributes. A curfew has been imposed. There are even rumors of people disappearing, never to be seen again."

Pepper said, "This is horrible, she's a despot and she''s abusing her right to rule."

Tony spoke then. "The game of kings and kingdoms is not one, we can normally engage in. But..." he paused thoughtfully, "there is a deeper evil at work here. One I cannot ignore."

The dragon hissed in agreement.  _I have sensed a disturbance in the spiritual balance. A malevolent presence has been awoken. It is somehow linked to the turmoil in Carinthia._

Tony repeated the dragon's words out loud.

Tony noticed Happy looking at him in disbelief but didn't know how he should explain his thoughts.

_I cannot let them know about the dragon. They'd think I'm mad. No one will ever take me seriously if I say a spiritual being lives in me._

He glanced at Pepper, expecting to see a similar skeptical glance but instead she was looking at him understandingly, as if she agreed with his dilemma.

Happy cleared his throat, "Ok, so what do we do know?"

Tony said, "We need to investigate before it is too late for the people of Carinthia."


	2. Plain Speaking

_When anger rises, think of the consequences - Confucius_

Pepper crept into the workshop and signed inwardly at the scene in front of her.

Tony and Happy were busy poring over Tony's extensive weapon collection. And arguing loudly. They were trying to decide which weapons were best suited for this quest. The suit was dismantled, ready to be placed in the emblazoned wooden trunk, Tony always used for transporting his armor.

Happy was standing on one side of the workbench with a large battle axe in his hand, absently swinging it back and forth.

Tony was on the other side of the bench, with a belt of blades of different sizes. Both were arguing on the merits of each other's choice of weapon.

Happy said, "The battle axe inflicts pure mayhem. It wins ever argument."

Tony countered, "How can we sneak in, with you walking around with a huge axe! Come on, Happy!"

"Suppose we have to fight a troll? Will you stab it with your pencil sharpeners?"

"We have to be subtle, we are not trying to start a war with Carinthia. We can pick up additional weapons while in the castle. I'd like to see you sneak around, catching that huge thing between your hands."

Tony smirked lewdly at his double entendre, while Happy looked askance for a moment and then started snickering. Pepper rolled her eyes.  _Men will be Men._

"Good one, Tone. But never fear, I have experience, handling long big things between my hands. Hee hee..."

"Hey! I bet I have even more experience. But big and long doesn't always guarantee ..."

Pepper cleared her throat loudly. They both stared at her in shock as they had never noticed she was in the room.

"Boys, if you are done comparing the lengths of your weapons, I would like to ask for your opinion on what should I use." She smiled at them.

Happy opened his mouth wide and then abruptly shut it.

Tony straightened and said in a very firm, commanding tone, "Pepper, you are not coming with us on this quest."

It was Pepper's turn to be shocked. "Why, Tony, why ever not?"

He mulishly shook his head. "It is too dangerous for you. For a lady. There's some unknown force at work here. We can't focus on the quest, if we are busy worrying whether you are alright. "

Pepper pinched her nose. "Tony, you seemed to have forgotten our fight against the Chonsario, where I held my own very successfully. Isn't that right, Happy?"

Tony raised his voice now. "Last time, you were looking after women and children and taking them away from the battle. Besides, Happy was there as well. He was looking out for you, I'm sure, weren't you Happy? This time around, I need him to focus."

They both looked at Happy, who had turned a bright red and was acting like a goldfish, opening and closing his mouth rapidly.

Pepper huffed at his lack of support. "You have trained me well, Tony. I can handle myself. I'm light on my feet, so I will be good at sneaking around. Plus, your foe here is a woman. You may have need of a woman to get close to her."

Tony shook his head. "This is going to be dangerous, Pepper. Why don't you understand that? You are not a knight, you do not have enough strength. Why can't you stay here and take care of the villagers?"

Pepper changed tactics. "Tony, at least take me along. When we reach there, if the situation is too dangerous, I promise, I will stay back. But please, don't leave me out of this." She looked at him appealingly.

He tightened his jaw and turned his back to her. "That would be a waste of time and energy. Stay at the Keep, please."

He gestured at Happy to come closer and they both huddled together, whispering about the weapons now.

Pepper felt multiple, conflicting emotions at the same time. She didn't know which one she should express out loud. Anger, sadness, disbelief. The urge to scream or cry was also confusing her.

She went with instead, with calmness and reason. She reached out to Tony and touched his arm.

He reacted jerkily and looked at her steadily, moving away from her touch.

She bit her lip, the reaction hurting her somehow and spoke. "Happy, can you give us a moment alone, please?"

Any other time, Pepper would have laughed at the speed with which Happy ran out of the workshop, dropping the axe on the bench, with a loud bang.

She looked at Tony.  _Be calm, Pepper, do not get emotional. Do not get emotional._

"Tony, lately, I sense... there's been a... I mean, there's been some distance between us. We don't talk as much as we used to and we don't spend much time together. We haven't gone on a midnight ride for quite some time. Is there something wrong? Have I done something to offend you?"

He didn't look at her but instead, looked at the battle axe, running his fingers over it and talking in an impersonal, casual tone. "Pepper, you need to understand something here. I have other commitments. Besides, you spend a lot of time in the village, with the village women. And with other village folk. So I don't understand why you are making demands on my time."

She swallowed, once again controlling her emotions. "I know I've been interacting a lot with the villagers but I never meant for it to interfere with our time together. I... I treasure our relationship, Tony. You are... the closest thing, I've had to a friend, for a long time. I miss your company. I miss our training and rides and conversations."

Again, Tony didn't look at her. He started to polish his set of blades. "Pepper, that was just for a point in time. You were on the run, nervous and I was trying to be nice. But I need to spend time with like-minded people. I may not be one anymore but I used to be a knight of the realm. Happy is more suited for training you. Besides he enjoys the experience."

Pepper mulled over his last statement.

_Oh... he didn't like training me. I... I never considered that. Pepper, focus on what he's saying. We will think about this later._

She tried to speak but Tony turned and the expression in his eyes made her throat close up. It seemed as if he was looking right through her, as if she wasn't even there.

"Pepper" he said coldly, "I want to speak plainly, now that Happy is not here. In this quest, we do not know what we are up against. And I feel, here you will slow, I and Happy down. And I do not want Happy to be distracted because he's busy worrying about you. You stick to what you are meant for and that is working with the villagers. So you will not be coming with us to Carinthia. And that is my final word."

Pepper felt her eyes welling up with tears.  _You can't take care of yourself. You will just slow them down. You always need rescuing._  The self doubts were so loud in her head.

She lowered her face and said in a low tone, "As you command, Lord Stark. I will not hamper your quest with my presence."

Then she walked quietly to the workshop door. She looked back at him sadly. He had turned his back to her and was looking at something on the workbench. She left the building and walked towards the stable, needing to go for a ride.

Absorbed with her thoughts, she did not hear the sound of the battle axe slamming against the workshop wall with anger.


	3. Ride to Carinthia

_Roads were made for journeys, not destinations. - Confucius_

It was a day's ride to Carinthia.

Tony and Happy decided to ride all night, so they would reach Carinthia in the early morning and sleep for a while, once they got there. Jerald had told them of an inn, whose owner was sympathetic to the farmers and wouldn't tell anyone of their arrival. Instead of using their own horses, Happy borrowed two horses from the village's stables and a small donkey cart as well, for transporting the armor.

Tigliath had to be left behind as he attracted a lot of attention. The big cat was not pleased with this and was very vocal about his displeasure.

Tony wanted to enter the city as sneakily as possible, so Jerald had given them the perfect cover: pretend to be laundry men from a nearby town, which was situated near a river. To help support this disguise, they were carrying a huge bundle of bed linen and pillows, helpfully provided by the village's seamstress, Happy's wife. The armor was nicely wrapped in a dozen bedsheets and cushioned with pillows.

They rode along quietly, Happy whistling a cheerful tune and Tony silent with his thoughts. Much to his annoyance, his thoughts were of Pepper.

She wasn't there when they left the Keep. Jarvis told him she had gone to the village. He didn't really blame her for not saying goodbye, their last conversation was very... difficult.

 _Difficult! That's putting it mildly._  huffed the dragon, who Tony knew, liked Pepper a lot.  _You deliberately set out to hurt her feelings. Why didn't you just be honest?_

Tony snorted.  _Be honest and tell her what? Pepper, I do not want you to get hurt. This is going to be dangerous. I couldn't bear it if anything... if anything happened to you. My greatest fear nowadays, is that I will not be able to protect you. I will be too slow, too late or just not there in time, to save you from danger. You have become too precious to me. And people who stay around me, who are close to me, end up dead._

He closed his eyes at that, memories assailing him. Then he glanced at Happy.

_I wonder if I'm doing the right thing by taking Happy. He's a father. I didn't even ask him if he wanted to be involved._

He spoke out loud then. "Hereald, may I ask you something?"

Happy stopped whistling abruptly and stared at Tony. "Hereald? What's wrong, my lord?"

"You are aware that you are taking a huge risk by coming with me right? On this dangerous quest? I mean, you are a father now." He swallowed. "If you want to go back, I understand. I can handle this alone. I do not want anything to happen to you."

Happy smiled at him easily.

"Thank you for your concern, Tony. But don't worry, I need to do this. Jerald is close to me and seeing him hurt, is something I cannot bear. I must stop this. Also, if we do not halt this evil in Carinthia, the Queen will extend her reach and ultimately reach my simple village, which as you have seen, is not capable of handling foes. At least, we were not capable until the Iron Knight came along."

Tony shook his head, smiling. "My friend, you are most capable without the Iron Knight. You just needed him to realize this fact for yourself."

They rode on in silence. Tony was thinking of the armor now. But the dragon had other thoughts.

_Anthony, this quest is... different. This is not about some overlord or troop of soldiers to face. There is an old evil at work here._

_I know my friend but whatever it is we can face it together. I have faith in your council._

The dragon whispered, a note of worry in its voice, _If this is something dangerous, don't you think it would have good to have Pepper at our side? It does not feel right that you have left her behind._

Tony growled so loudly that Happy stared at him. He shrugged.

The dragon continued,  _From what you've told me, you have never had a woman as a friend. Or as a lover. Ah, ah, I know you've been in lust with a woman many times. And enjoyed their lust for you as well. But have you ever been loved by a woman? Loved for who you are, not because you were a knight or a lord?_

Tony was determined to be silent so as not to encourage the dragon. But his silence didn't seem to matter as the dragon went on whispering.

_Pepper is... a very special woman. The kind a man should get on his knees and pray for, that in each lifetime, she is his. She has come into your life. Do not let her leave it. Life is short, Anthony, trust me, I know. There is more to it than sex and war and even the fire. Do not push love away because you are scared of the way it makes you feel. Because you are scared of losing the one you love. Death comes to us all. Do not let it cheat you into ignoring love._

Tony would to do anything, to avoid hearing the dragon's whispering truths, so he said to Happy, "Why so silent? Let's have a singing competition. Whoever sings the dirtiest ditty wins."

Happy was very excited to oblige.


	4. What's in the Laundry

_A lion chased me up a tree and I greatly enjoyed the view from the top - Confucius_

 

It was the wee hours of the morning when Tony and Happy rode into Carinthia. The city was just stirring and its guards were too sleepy to question two laundry men with a lot of laundry as they entered the city. They made their way to the inn and stabled their horses. The innkeeper showed them to their rooms and agreed to wake them up in 4 hours just in time for a late breakfast. 

 

They fell asleep immediately, Happy snoring gently and Tony too tired to notice. 

 

* * *

 

All was quiet in the stables as well. The donkey chewed on some hay happily. The cart was in the corner, still filled with linen. 

 

The donkey looked curiously at the linen bundle as it began to rustle. Then a slender fair hand appeared from the mass of bed linen. Another hand appeared as well and they began to push away the bedsheets and pillows until finally Pepper could break free.

 

She crept out of the cart, strawberry blonde hair tousled wildly. She walked over to a barrel of water and splashed her face with force. Then she put on her lad disguise by tucking her hair under her large black hat and wearing a shapeless, oversized coat. She had bound her breasts and wore a large kerchief around her neck, so between the large hat and the kerchief, her face couldn't be seen clearly. She slung her satchel around her chest. 

 

Then she walked to the inn and sat down at a table in its restaurant area. Breakfast was being served.

 

She gestured at a serving boy imperiously and he immediately brought her a cup of ale.

 

The innkeeper strolled over curiously. "Who might you be, kind sir? I don't think you have a room here."

 

She deepened her voice and spoke. "I'm with your other guests who are sleeping upstairs.  The laundry men from a far away place."

 

She wiggled her eyebrows at the innkeeper, trying to make him understand that she was part of Tony's group. He did so immediately and nodded solemnly. "Right then, breakfast for our good sir here." 

 

The serving boy brought over rye bread with cheese and a meat stew. Pepper ate the hot food with gusto. She hadn't eaten anything since last afternoon, before hiding away in the cart.

 

She grinned gleefully as she thought about what she had done. After the way Tony excluded her from the mission, she decided to prove to him that she could be an asset on a quest and wasn't going to be sidelined. 

 

She confided in Magdalene, who had a few choice words about Tony's attitude. It was her idea that Pepper should hide in the donkey cart under all the linen. This was easy because Tony had entrusted Maggie with the task of arranging the linen around the armor. And Jarvis agreed to tell Tony, a little white lie about Pepper's whereabouts.

 

So she lay in the cart quietly on the trip to Carinthia. It was a comfortable journey but Pepper had to really control herself from laughing out loud, during Tony's and Happy's lusty limerick competition. 

 

Much to her glee, she heard Happy loudly coming down the stairs. She kept her head low as he walked into the dining room and sat down at the table next to her. He looked at her absently and returned her friendly nod.

 

_Hee hee, Happy doesn't even recognize me._

 

Happy raised his hand suddenly and Pepper tensed slightly as Tony walked to the table. She realized he was staring at her. She kept her head low and chewed slowly.

 

_Can I fool the great Lord Stark with my disguise?_

 

Tony sat down and Happy started talking excitedly about the city. But Tony was still staring at her intently. Then their breakfast came and they ate quickly. 

 

Pepper relaxed and had another glass of ale, then waited for them to leave, so that she could follow them. She saw them take the stairs as all the rooms were on the first floor. She casually got up and walked up the stairs. Then she paused.

 

_Now which room are they in? The ones on the left or the right? I'm confused._

 

Then she heard Happy's loud exclamation coming from the left. She walked quietly to the 3rd door and heard Happy say something again. 

 

She came closer to the door, to knock, only to be shocked when the door abruptly opened and she was suddenly yanked into the room forcefully. A strong hand had caught her by the shoulder and held her firmly against the room's wall. She was stunned but kept quiet as she looked into the grim faces of Tony and Happy. 

 

Happy said "Hey lad, who are you and why are you following us?"

 

But Tony cut him off with an exasperated smirk on his face. "It is no one but Pepper, Happy." And he pulled Pepper's hat off her head. 

 

She smiled innocently at them both. "Hey boys... so I hope you had a good rest..."

 

Happy was acting like a goldfish again. "How... how did you, where did you..." 

 

Pepper ignored his question and turned to Tony, who was still holding her shoulder firmly. "How did you know it was me? What gave me away?"

 

His eyes flickered with emotion at that sentence but he sternly asked her, "What are you doing here, Pepper? I thought I made it clear you were not to come on this quest." 

 

She looked back him, her face equally stern. _Face him, Pepper. Don't back down._

 

"Tony, I am going to prove to you, that I can take care of myself. And you have to acknowledge that i managed to stow away without your notice."

 

Tony had a mischievous gleam in his eye. He nodded in agreement. "Very well, you have made your point." 

 

Happy looked relieved at the way the matter was settled. 

 

Pepper was relieved too. She didn't want to fight with Tony again. She grinned at him happily. "So... what's our plan?"

 

Tony said, "Happy, please go to the stables and make sure the horses are prepared. I will help Pepper decide on a weapon and will meet you at the stables." 

 

Happy nodded and left. Pepper saw the chest with the armor in the room. "Won't you be taking this?" She asked as she tucked her hair back under her hat. 

 

"No, we are going to do some reconnaissance first as we need to understand what is going on. We can come back for it later. Now the bag of weapons is over there behind the bed. Go, take a look." 

 

Pepper walked over to said bag. Then she heard the door close and a loud click and clang. 

 

She gasped. _I've been had!_

 

She ran back to the door and tried to open it but it was latched from the outside. She started to pound her fists on the door and shouted,

"Anthony Stark, you let me out! This is not fair! How dare you...you fiend... you! How dare you lock me in! Let me out!!" 

 

She laid her ear against the door, listening for any indication that Tony was still there. But she heard nothing. Then she slumped against the door and sat down on her heels.  _Now what should I do?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any guesses on how Tony realized it was Pepper in disguise?


	5. All Hail the Queen

_Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall. - Confucius_

 

Tony and Happy were studying the hustle and bustle of the city's main stables, which were just outside the city's castle. While Happy enjoying himself, busy muttering about guards and horses and grooms, Tony was still thinking of Pepper, locked up at the inn. 

 

_I do not know whether to be angry at her cheek or admire her for it. Hiding in the cart and coming with us... Pepper, you really are a handful. She'll be safe at the inn, until we return from our scouting._

 

They knocked out two guards who were patrolling the stables and quickly changed into their clothes. This was going to be purely reconnaissance, get in the castle, scout around, see what they were up against and get out. Tony changed into his uniform and chuckled at the sight of Happy struggling to fit into the guard's tight uniform. 

 

Once they were dressed, they sneakily joined a marching guard unit, which luckily, turned out to be the next shift of guards for the palace. They marched through the courtyard and into the castle. The guards moved towards the mess for lunch. Tony and Happy quietly separated themselves from the crowd and headed for the throne room. 

 

"What are we looking for exactly, Sir?" asked Happy.

 

"We are looking for the lady who is now the queen of this city. I want to see her. I also want to see exactly how many soldiers or guards are in this castle. Now act natural." 

 

Happy whispered as they marched, "I have a question but not about what we are going to do."

 

Tony sighed, "Let me think, you want to know how I saw through Pepper's disguise."

 

Happy nodded. 

 

Tony very nonchalantly said, "I have a sixth sense about these things. She is too womanly to pass off as a boy."

 

The dragon chortled so loudly, that Tony nearly jumped with the sound. _Liar, liar, Anthony. Oh my, we must not let Hereald know, that as soon as you came to the table, the smell of lilies and vanilla assailed your senses so thoroughly, that your heart and head told you, Pepper is here. Tsk, tsk, imagine, you could do that through all that grime as well._

 

The throne room was just up ahead. It was full of courtiers and ladies of the court, who were waiting for the Queen to arrive. Tony nodded to the guardsmen in the room, who nodded in return and left.

 

Tony whispered to Happy "They think we have come to relieve them. Now you stand on the right, I'll be on the left. Don't panic. Just... be a guard."

 

They stood at attention and trumpets began to sound. The entire court curtsied or bowed as the Queen stepped in from the far side of the room, where Tony and Happy were standing. 

 

She was a tall, curvaceous brunette with riotous curls, cascading down her back. She was clad in a shoulder-less, tight black tunic, trimmed with gold and a large, blood-red, ruby brooch was pinned on her chest.

 

Tony stared at her. _She seems familiar. The hair, the body... I feel certain I've seen her before but where?_

 

The Queen was too far away for Tony to get a good look at her face. But the way she walked and looked, was giving him a strong sense of deja vu.

 

Her attendants fanned her as she stretched languorously on the throne, the ruby glittering. The head minister read out the items of the day and Tony watched as the whole room paid complete and utmost attention only to the Queen. They seemed to salivate at her every word and watched her movements with desperate anticipation.

 

When she sensually took off one of her rings to reward a courtier, the room went wild with excitement, the courtiers climbing over each other, clamoring to reach her hand. She laughed winsomely at them and then snapped her fingers. The noise died down immediately.

 

He looked at Happy to see if he had noticed the same weird behavior and was shocked. Happy's mouth was open, his eyes were unfocused and he was literally drooling at the Queen. Tony hissed at him but he paid Tony no attention and just kept staring.

 

_Ok, what is going on?_

 

_I do not know, Anthony, but there is something strange at work here. Be careful_ , the dragon whispered.

 

The Queen stood up, stretched sexily and began to walk with her entourage towards the exit, which Tony and Happy were guarding. Tony snapped to attention, adopting an impassive expression. He surreptitiously stared at the her, as she walked through the parting crowd, trying to understand what was all the fuss about.

 

She was very fair, with an attractive mole under her pillow-shaped, luscious lips. Her hips swayed seductively as she moved. And her eyes, doe shaped with long, long lashes... Tony began to feel light-headed.  The room started to sway. His vision turned blurry.

 

He began to chant inwardly, like a prayer.

 

_My Queen, my Queen, I would give anything for a chance to kiss your feet. I would be your slave till the end of time. My Queen, I would do anything for you._

He could feel the beginnings of an erection. His heart started to pound with sexual anticipation. He wanted to touch the Queen so badly.

 

The Queen was doing her rounds, graciously accepting tributes and declarations of loyalty from her kneeling subjects. When she stepped towards a courtier, sunlight streaming from the high windows, reflected off the ruby, turning it a light, strawberry red.

 

The sparkling jewel penetrated the thick haze of lust in Tony's mind. _I've seen that color before on one most fair. The one I love._

 

The memory came to him. Of a woman looking at him with eyes, deep blue and hair that color. Smiling at him. Dancing with him in the moonlight. The scent of lilies. 

 

_Pepper is the queen of my heart. Not this... not this woman._

 

The thought echoed in his head loudly and he felt as if he had been dunked suddenly into freezing cold water. The room started to shift into focus. His mind was clear now. He looked at the Queen with sharper eyes. 

 

_Is she a sorceress? Why did I fade out like that?  Has she cast a spell on the court?_

 

The dragon murmured, _You couldn't hear me, Tony. Whatever it was, it cut you off from me. There is a dark presence at work here. It is her or in her. I can't make out. She reeks of blood to me._

 

The Queen finally started to walk towards Happy and Tony.  Tony schooled his face into a stoic expression. He looked straight ahead as she came towards the exit. He could feel her staring intently at him. He began to sweat for some reason. The Queen stopped right in front of him. Looking him over impudently. Then she smiled wickedly, exposing small white teeth. 

 

She whispered sideways to one amongst her entourage, still looking at Tony. Then she passed the exit. The room started to clear.  Tony made to leave, trying to grab Happy when the courtier came over. 

 

"Our Queen wants to see you right now in her private chambers."

 

_What?_

 

Tony showed no emotion but muttered impassively "What ever for, my lord? I'm just a humble guardsman."

 

"You fool!", the courtier hissed at him. "You cannot refuse the queen's command!"

 

_This may well be a trap but I cannot rouse further suspicion._  

 

He clicked his heels together and saluted smartly. Then he pulled Happy and they marched to the Queen's room.

 

_I have a bad feeling about this._


	6. Pepper Sneaks In

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As if Pepper is going to sit this adventure out. As if.
> 
> This chapter is a little short for my liking, so I'm adding the next chapter as well.
> 
> Thank you for reading, your kudos and your comments.

_The cautious seldom err._

 

Pepper watched the cook's apprentice wipe his snotty nose on his sleeve as he sulkily picked out vegetables. 

 

She was in the city's marketplace, stalking the apprentice because she knew he was the only way she could get inside the castle.

 

She smirked as she thought how she managed to foil Tony.  Little did he know, she always carried a hair pin and she used that to pick the lock of the bedroom door. 

 

_It is a good thing I never told him I can pick locks. Anyways, he was being such a stuffed shirt about me joining him and Happy. It serves him right if I do my own scouting._

 

The apprentice moved to another stall and another. He was clearly bored. At the cured meats stall, he perked up because the stall keeper's daughter was a well endowed, comely, young woman who was giving him a come hither gleam. 

 

Pepper moved closer but ignored their conversation, dismissing it as flirtatious chatter until she heard the apprentice mention the new queen. 

 

"You should be careful, you hear," he said hoarsely, leaning towards the stall girl. "She likes you good looking types. I've seen prettier wenches than you, locked up in the dungeon and then... poof!" he gestured dramatically. "They disappear one day, never to be seen again."

 

The store girl laughed throatily. "You is pulling my leg. Where do these girls go and what does she do with them?" 

 

The apprentice whispered "I don't know much, I don't, but just last week, three beautiful young ones were brought from a far off village. They was fed nice food for a night and kept in the dungeon. I know because I took the food to them. They was charged with some petty crime. The guards told me, they were going to be transported but I was up that night and I saw them taken to her chamber. The queen's chamber. The next day, they was nowhere to be found. The guards say they were taken away but, but see this."

 

He pulled out a thin silver anklet from his jacket. "I saw this on one of the girls. The next day I found this, in the castle gutter. What you make of that?"

 

The stall girl laughed again while Pepper mulled his words in her head.

_He could be lying. He's certainly trying to get her attention but what... what if he's telling the truth? What's happening to these girls? And she's smartly bringing them from other villages, so there are no young girls disappearing from this city itself. Hence no one will pay attention._  

 

The town bell rung twice and the apprentice quickly paid for his meats.

 

Then Pepper saw him move towards the alleyway behind the marketplace.

 

_He's going to take a piss. Now is my chance._

 

She pulled the cloak's hood onto her head and sneaked into the smelly alley. Sure enough, the apprentice was preparing to relieve himself against the wall. 

 

She crept up behind him and poked the butter knife, she had taken from the inn, into his back. He gasped but didn't turn around and she growled thickly at him

 

"You be working in the castle for the cook?"

 

"Y...y...y...ye..yes, yes, I'm just an apprentice.  Don't hurt me please." 

 

"I won't if you do exactly what you are told to do. Don't go to the castle. Take the day off. Go home and go to bed and do not leave your house. Is that clear?"

 

"Yes, yes, just leave me be."

 

"Oh and one more thing... give me your chef's hat, jacket and pass. Take then off and throw them down." 

 

He quickly did as she said. 

 

"Now run away and remember, do not breathe a word of this to anyone." 

 

He blindly ran from the alley, leaving his bag of groceries behind as well.

 

Pepper took off her black cloak and shirt. She was going to sneak in as a boy, so she had bound her breasts.

 

The palace wouldn't allow her to take weapons inside, so she hadn't brought her short sword. But she had a sharp blade that she had secretly pocketed from Tony's workshop. She tied the blade to her chest with string. Then she put her shirt and the apprentice's roomy jacket on. It had a number of old and fresh food stains. She put the hat on and pulled the cloak on as well.

 

_The more nondescript I am, the better. I do not want to attract any attention at all._

 

She picked up the bag of groceries and began to walk towards the castle. _I need to reach there before they start preparing supper._  

 

There was a long line at the back entrance for servants and cooks. Two guardsmen were checking bags and passes.

 

She had rubbed some dirt on her face and tied her hair up under the hat, so she hoped she could pass off as a scrawny, tall lad.

 

When it was her turn, she handed the pass to one guard, while the other went through her bag. 

 

"Where's Eamon?"  

 

She answered gruffly, "He be ill. He sent me with his pass. I even brought the groceries." 

 

The guards let her pass.

 

_Phew, I'm in._

 

She followed another cook to the main kitchen. It was bustling with culinary activity. Supper was being prepared.  

 

Pepper placed the meats on the counter and moved to the cutting table with some vegetables, trying to blend in. 

 

_I need to be smart. I can't do any snooping now. Later, after supper, I can sneak out. The apprentice mentioned the dungeons. There's something going on there. I must go there first._


	7. Old Sins Cast Long Shadows

_To be wrong is nothing unless you continue to remember it._

 

It was the eleventh hour and the castle was eerily quiet. Pepper had just sneaked out of the kitchen where the cooks and the kitchen staff were busy snoring after a hard day's work.

 

She went to the servants washroom where she removed the blade from under her shirt and instead slung it around her waist, so she could reach it easier. She also rubbed her face with soot and ash, so she would look like a dirty kitchen servant. 

 

_OK. Let me think this through. I exit this washroom, I go down the left staircase and right there, are the dungeons. There will be guards. I need to be quiet. I wonder if Tony and Happy returned to the inn yet._

 

She gulped, remembering the cheeky note she left Tony ... teasing him about escaping and how he wouldn't be able to find her.

_I hope he doesn't get too angry. Especially since he was so mad about me tagging along._

 

She sighed pensively and exited the washroom. The corridor was dark and ornately decorated with statues and busts and tapestries. 

 

She heard voices approaching. _God's teeth ... quick, get behind that bust!_

 

She lifted up the tapestry behind the bust, stepped into position right behind it and let the tapestry cover her. Her torso and head would be covered by the thick material and the bust should hide her legs. 

 

_It's very dark in this section. I hope they won't see me._

 

She held her breath as the guards approached and passed her, heading towards the courtyard.  

 

Then she inched out from under the tapestry and crept quietly down the circular, winding staircase. It ended in an alcove that opened near the dungeons. 

 

She pulled out a small mirror from her bag and used it, to peer around the edge of the alcove's wall. Tony had shown her this trick.

 

One guard was at the entrance. Another one was snoring in the corner. 

_Think, Pepper, think...._

 

_I got it ! The moonstone! I can use it as a distraction!_

 

She gently rolled the stone away from the alcove, in the opposite direction of the dungeons, right where the patrolling guard could see it. Then she crouched down in the dingy, dark corner under the stairs.  

 

The guard came to the stone and picked it curiously, looking it over. Pepper snuck up behind him and knocked him out. 

 

_Whoops, I forgot the sleeping guard._  

 

She turned slowly.

 

_Phew! He's a sound sleeper._

 

Then she dragged the knocked out guard to the staircase alcove. 

 

She picked up the moonstone and crept past the sleeping guard, who was now snoring loudly. She was finally in the dungeons which were poorly lit.

 

The first few cells were empty. She walked up to a closed cell and gently opened its peep hole. A young woman was chained to the cell wall. She was asleep.

 

Pepper walked to the next cell. It contained two young women. And the next cell contained, yet again, three young women. 

 

_Why are there so many women prisoners?_

 

She whispered to the inmates of cell 3. "Hey, pssssst..."  

 

One of the women reacted loudly, "Get lost, you pervert." 

 

Pepper glanced in fear at the other guard. Who was mercifully, still asleep. 

 

She whispered, "I'm not here to stare. Why are you imprisoned?" 

 

The young blonde woman said defiantly, "We did nothing wrong. We were kidnapped from our village of Boron two days ago. Since then, we have been chained up in here." 

 

Another woman spoke up mournfully, "We haven't had anything to eat for two days." 

 

Pepper felt sorry for her and rummaged in her bag, to see if she had any food. She pulled out two apples and pushed them through the peephole. "I need to carry on. I'll come back for you in some time." 

 

She moved to the next cell and opened the peephole. This time she gasped, as the cell contained 5 more young women.

 

_What's going on? Why are there only young women in these cells?_

 

She moved to the last cell. The door was not locked. There was an extremely old woman chained to the wall. She stared at Pepper and smiled sadly. 

 

Pepper came closer.

 

"Let me get you out of these chains, matron." 

 

She took out her hair pin and started to work on the woman's leg chain. 

 

The old woman caught her hand frailly and whispered in a tired, slow voice to Pepper, "Don't bother, I don't have much time. I want to tell someone what I know. Please listen to me. Perhaps you can save this city." 

 

Pepper nodded and the woman began to speak.

 

* * *

 

Tony came to consciousness slowly, the metallic taste of blood in his mouth. He felt so groggy and heavy. 

 

_Where am I? What... did I faint?_

 

His vision cleared and he looked around to see, he was in a small, cozy room with a fireplace. It seemed to be a ladies dressing room as there was a cupboard and a dressing table.

 

The fire was lit, so he was sweating lightly. He was also tightly strapped to a vertical wooden board, thick steel cuffs around his wrists and feet. A steel band crossed his chest and another one crossed his neck.

 

_Tony, this time you are in real trouble. Where's Happy? Why am I tied up?_

 

He felt very tired and his head was throbbing. Then it came to him: Being taken to meet the Queen and the ensuing confrontation. 

 

_Morganna. Crap, did it have to be Morganna?_

 

Before Yin Sen, before Ryunn's flame, before the Battle of Nioh, Tony had been a debauched knight of the court. And one of his famous conquests was Morganna Debouis, the main Lady-in-Waiting to Queen Arianna, King Leoric's wife. Morganna was well-known far and wide, for her beauty and her wealth. But she had never married because as rumors went, she enjoyed living a decadent life in the court. With Tony's roving eye and her aggressive sexual appetite, they were bound to cross paths and they did so, by having a torrid tryst. It was purely sexual and short, just the way Tony liked it. 

 

Tony grimaced inwardly. _However, the lady didn't like it that I left her. Or rather, I let Jarvis tell her, that I left her. I conveniently left the palace and came back two days later, this time in the arms of the charming Lady Triste. I had hoped, Morganna would let it go but... I don't think she's forgotten what I did._  

 

_Tsk Tsk,_ the dragon whispered, _Anthony Stark's past as a tom cat, comes back to haunt him. But this Morganna... she is no ordinary woman. There is some being, some presence that is within her, strengthening her magic._

 

"Magic!" Tony said aloud. 

 

_Yes, Anthony, she used very dark magic on you and there is a spell on the menfolk in this castle. I fear she has very evil plans for you._

 

He strained against his bonds but he was too weak and he fell back against the board. 

 

The door opened quietly and Morganna slinked in, grinning evilly from ear-to-ear.

 

"My, my, Anthony, the sight of you tied up is bringing back so many memories... How long as it been? A year, two years?"

 

He glared at her. "I do not know what game you are playing here, Morganna, but let me go! Or I will..."

 

"Or you will what? Burn me away with your little blue flame?" She let out a tinkling laugh at his stunned expression. "Oh my dear Lord Stark, I know of your dirty secret. I know because you see, even I have been blessed with an unholy gift." 

 

She pushed aside her robe, to expose the ruby, a blood red mass against her white, bloodless skin. Tony watched warily as the ruby began to pulsate as if it was alive, the redness swirling. 

 

Morganna smirked at him and moved to a side table, where she poured herself a glass of wine. "Let me tell you about my benefactor, Anthony." 

 

"Soon after your exile from court, King Leoric left me. Oh!" she made a moue at him, "That's right, you didn't know that I was sarding your precious noble King, behind your back. Yes, we were always lovers, even through all my trysts with other men. Leoric didn't mind my affairs as my reputation helped allay any suspicions that Arianna had. But he left me... for a younger woman. After all our years together. He poisoned Arianna's mind about me, making me out to be a slut who was after him."

 

Her face turned red with anger at this and the ruby also seemed to darken frighteningly. 

 

"I was forced to leave the court. Finally I was fed up with being left by men, fed up of putting up with their rutting affections, only for them to move on to the next young thing. So I made a deal with the devil." She said flippantly.

 

"I had dabbled with magic before, mild curses, hexes here and there. But this time, I needed something powerful, so I approached a sorcerer, who lived on the outskirts of the city. He summoned a powerful demon from Hell, who was willing to help me as long as I helped him. Perhaps you have heard of him? Asmodeus..." 

 

The dragon hissed loudly in Tony's head. _A Demon Lord! You foolish woman!_

 

"No? Doesn't ring a bell? Well, he is one of the seven Lords of Hell and his key interest is the sin of Lust. He thrives on feelings of illicit passion and sex. So we came to an agreement. He would gift me with endless youth and beauty and the power to entrap men with lust. In return, I provide him with the souls of those who succumb to their lust for me." 

 

"Souls?!" said Tony in horror. "God's teeth, woman! Is there no limit to your desperation?"

 

Morganna looked at him, her brown eyes sparkling with glee. "The poor slobs, they have no idea what's waiting for them. I have passionate, torrid sex with them, in front of the Demon. They are so blind with lust, they don't realize till the end, that there's something else in the room. Watching and waiting, hungry for more." 

 

"Do you know how the Great Asmodeus harvests souls, Anthony?  He sucks the life out of their bodies, slowly..." She slurped at her wine, "And sometimes," she grinned maniacally, "He eats them alive, starting with their feet. And yes, he lets me watch!"

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Asmodeus is one of the seven princes of hell, a demon prince and represents one of the seven deadly sins, Lust.


	8. The Queen Tells All

_To see what is right and not do it is the worst cowardice._

 

The elderly lady was very pale with thin wisps of hair on her head. She leaned back against the wall and sighed tiredly. 

 

"Three weeks ago, a beautiful, young woman, named Morganna Debouis, came to court. She told us that she was thrown out of King Leoric's court for having an affair with one of his favorite knights. She appealed to our good nature, to let her stay in the city for a few days, so that she could gather her resources. She seemed vulnerable and I felt it wasn't fair that she was punished while the knight was not."

 

"So we gave her a house and servants, since it was to be temporary. She started coming to court a lot and became very popular, very quickly. One by one, the courtiers, our friends, even the soldiers were bewitched with this young woman. But it seemed rather strange. They seemed to be mindlessly in lust with her. And they were desperately passionate to do anything to be with her."

 

"I mentioned this to my husband, who laughed at me. He felt I was being paranoid. Morganna would be desired, he said, she is a beautiful woman. I listened to him until one day, I saw my husband fall to his knees in his own throne room and give his kingdom to Morganna, because he felt she was his queen."

 

Pepper gasped. "You are the Queen of Carinthia? Oh, your highness! And this Morganna, she..."

 

"Yes, I was the Queen of this city. Queen Jacinta." The lady said sadly. "That day, the she devil took over my kingdom and throne. Our own guards, so hypnotized with her beauty, clapped me and my husband in irons and imprisoned us. We were separated

I know not where my husband is. For a week, I languished in this cell. I struggled to understand what spell, what dark magic, had Morganna placed on my people. It seemed to affect men and women alike, though the women just became blind drones, willing to obey her."  

 

She sighed again heavily. "Each day, I heard young women being brought into this dungeon and jailed. Each night, I heard at least two or three of them, being dragged away, kicking and screaming but never returning."

 

"Then Morganna asked for me. I was taken to a chamber, deep in the depths of the castle, below ground. A room with a bed, a fire and a mirror. And then I learnt..."

 

She trailed off here, her entire frame shivering. Pepper caught her hand comfortingly but then recoiled at the coldness of the Queen's hand. And its paper-like texture.

 

Queen Jacinta continued, inhaling harshly. "She has made an unholy alliance with an otherworldly being of great power. It has given her a jewel that drains life. She then stores the life force in special crystal containers and bathes in the energy, every day. That is the source of her beauty. The jewel infuses the life force maliciously with a spirit of blinding desire and lust, that's why all men are bewitched by her."

 

Pepper felt goosebumps rise on her arms. "It drains life? So all the young girls..."

 

The older woman nodded sadly. "It reduces the victim to a husk of bones and skin. With young women, its effect is instantaneous; all their beauty and youth is drained and the victim is dead at the end of it. Nothing but a pile of ash. That's why there are no corpses and the people of the city, suspect nothing."

 

"With older women, there is less beauty, less youth, so it's a more painful, slower, draining." She started to whisper pitifully. "Only coldness remains in your veins. The slightest breeze pricks your skin like a thousand needles. Your organs feel so heavy on your bones."

 

Pepper widened her eyes in horror. "Your highness, did Morganna..."

 

The Queen stared weakly at Pepper, tears slowly pouring out of her eyes. She gestured at the locket around her neck. Pepper opened it and gasped as the locket revealed two portraits of a middle aged man and woman, both wearing crowns.

 

"That devil! She took your life force as well!"

 

The Queen nodded weakly.  "For the last five days, Morganna has been draining me, little by little. Now there's nothing left of me."

 

"Your Highness, I... we can save you. My lord Anthony may be in this castle as we speak. He's..."

 

The Queen widened her eyes and croaked, "You must save him. If Morganna seduces him, he will be lost to her forever. Go find him and work together to kill that bitch. Here."

 

She pulled out a thin scrap of parchment from her robes. "There is a long, secret passageway, running through the castle's walls. The passageway has a secret entrance to nearly every room in the castle, except the dungeons and basement. Use this to move around." 

 

She closed her eyes tightly and said, "It is too late for me and perhaps, for my John as well. I am happy at least, that he will not see me like this, broken. Take care, young man. Find a way to stop this evil."

 

Pepper watched with dismay, as the Queen stood up and began to crumble into ash, before her very eyes. In a few seconds, there was nothing left of her but a small pile of dust, the locket in its center. She picked it up and ran out of the cell, bile rising in her throat.

 

_Tony and Happy, I need to find them and we need to stop this. I hope to God, they are ok._

 

Just then, she heard a very familiar, loud voice, shouting at the top of his lungs. "Consarn it, you pissants! LET ME GO!" This was followed by scuffling and shoving and another voice swearing.

 

_Happy! He's coming down the stairs. Wait, what about the sleeping guard?_

 

The sound had roused him and Pepper charged at him quickly, knocking him down before he could fully awaken. The guard fell over on his rump and Pepper picked up his shield and hit him in the face, hard. He fell down, unconscious. 

 

She picked up his short sword and held it in both hands. _Remember your training. Defend using the sword. Use the force coming towards you, to repel it._

 

She stood in the stance Tony had taught her, for the short sword. Sword hilt in both hands, sword raised backwards, ready to swing forward, one knee in the front, one knee back, body weight balanced in the middle. 

 

Happy came tumbling down the stairs, the guard behind him guffawing loudly. He stopped laughing, however, when he saw Pepper, poised to attack. Then he nimbly jumped over Happy, charged and raised his axe, roaring at Pepper. She held the sword in both hands and deflected his blow. Then she used her elbow to smash him in the face and when he stumbled back with pain, she raised the sword high above her head and brought it down in a clean strike.

 

The guard lay dead at her feet and Pepper stared at him, the enormity of what she had done, shocking her.  _I... I killed him._ His blood was dripping from the sword and she absently wiped it on her sleeve. Now the bright, thick red blood was on her clothing and she began to feel nauseous.

 

Then she felt Happy take the sword from her and he pushed her to sit on the floor. She could hear him murmur soothingly, "There, there, Pepper" "It is ok, Pepper". He made her fold her knees and gently shoved her head between them.

 

Her head began to clear and she inhaled deeply. Happy said quietly, "Your first kill is always the most difficult. It is not easy to take a man's life but sometimes, you have to do so, to save your own. This time, you saved mine and I thank you."  

 

She gulped and stood shakily. _Now is not the time to go to pieces, Pepper. Think about what Queen Jacinta said. Save this city._

 

"Happy, where's Tony? The evil Queen needs to be stopped, you have no idea what horrifying acts she's been up to."

 

Happy flushed guiltily. "Well, I and Tony got cornered by the Queen and I... I wasn't much help, I..."

 

"You found her very attractive and thinking about her lustily, addled your mind. You couldn't focus and all you wanted to do, was to take care of your Queen." said Pepper matter-of-factly.

 

Happy gaped at her. "How... how do you know that? Did you see me? What, Pepper..."

 

"Happy, where is Tony?" 

 

"He and I were forced to see the Queen in her chambers. I sort of remember going there and then... the Queen lifted her jewel and blasted Tony in the face, with a blinding red light. He flew backwards and hit his head hard. Then I snapped out of my lustful haze. I charged at the Queen but her two burly attendants stepped in and I fought them but I was overpowered. She told them to take me to the dungeons. Tony was carried off somewhere."

 

Happy grew pale. "Shit, Tony... I'm scared now. What will they do to him?"

 

Pepper quickly told Happy what Queen Jacinta told her.

 

Then she and Happy came up with a plan of action: Happy would run back to the inn, to get the Iron Knight suit's breastplate and gauntlets. They would need this to fight this Queen Morganna. When he returned, he would free all the girls in the dungeon

 

Pepper would find Tony, using the secret passage way, to move through the castle undetected. They split up, each determined to see this through. 

 

 

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Morganna draining young girls for their beauty, is in part inspired by Elizabeth Bathory.


	9. The Blue Flame Fades

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Explicit content ahead.

_If we don't know life, how can we know death? - Confucius_

 

Pepper crept along the narrow, dark crevice, cautiously feeling her way forward.

 

_It is so dark in here, how can I see the map to know if I'm going in the right way..._ Then it came to her. _The moonstone!_

 

She dug around in her tiny satchel and pulled out the glowing orb. It immediately bathed the path ahead in a soft, blue light and she looked at the map. 

 

_The next door should be the Queen's room. Let me check if Tony is in there._  

 

She walked five steps forward and lightly tapped the right side wall. It was hollow. She gingerly felt the wall upwards, checking for a lever or a knob or something to open it. Then she felt the indented spot halfway at the top. Pepper pressed it gently. The wall slid open sideways and she saw that it opened in the room's fireplace. But there was no one in the room.

 

She chided herself mentally.

 

_That was close, Pepper. Next time, open a smaller gap._

 

She looked at the map. _The next room was the former Queen's dressing room. Hmmm, let's check in there._

 

She stepped back into the crevice, slid the wall back into place and took 10 steps forward. This time, there was a wooden panel and there was no indentation but a small lever at the panel's bottom.

 

Pepper slid the lever back, very cautiously to open the panel. She quickly realized the secret opening was inside a large standing cupboard in the room. Large enough for her to stand straight in. The doors were intricately latticed, so she could look outside without being seen. 

 

She could see Tony standing, some distance away, close to a beautiful woman, with black curls and a lush figure. Pepper could see the woman had a large, red ruby around her neck. _This must be Morganna. What are they doing?_  

 

She watched as the woman laughed deeply at Tony and then suddenly, caught his jaw and kissed him deeply. She pressed herself tightly to his body.

 

Pepper swallowed her gasp of anger. _Great, of course Tony has succumbed to this witch's spell of lust. Of course he would. Now how do I snap him out of it?_

 

Then she saw that Tony was not responding to Morganna's kiss, he was trying to pull away. That's when she noticed the board behind him and the steel band. _God's teeth, he's bound to the wooden board! He can't move!_

 

Morganna finally broke off the kiss and Pepper saw that she had viciously bitten Tony during the kiss as his bottom lip was bleeding.

 

Then Morganna said "Anthony, don't be foolish. Do you remember what happened when you tried to be noble with Leoric? Do you remember how he kicked you out of the city, taking away your knighthood? You and me, we both have lost so much. But now, we are both blessed with powerful gifts."

 

She continued, "Yes, I know about the blue fire that burns in your chest. Symbol of a higher being, that has blessed you with his presence."

 

Tony tightened his jaw, looking to one side, as Morganna continued "We can rule this city together, my lord. With your command of the flame and my knowledge of the dark arts, we can control Asmodeus and use his power to reign forever."

 

Tony stared at her. "Why do you want to control Asmodeus? Consarn it, woman! Do you seek to double-cross a demon?"

 

Morganna looked pensive for a minute. "He... He wants to turn me into a succubus. So that we can have a child together. That is his ultimate aim, a half human, half demon offspring, a demigod amongst mortals, so he can spread his power over the Earth. In my current mortal state, I cannot breed with him. The sheer power of him would kill me. I must be turned into a demon. But I don't want to bear his child..." 

 

Then she smiled at him. Pepper's blood turned cold at the evilness in her smile. _What is she going to do?_

 

Morganna used one long, sharp nail to tear Tony's shirt open, exposing his chest and the blue arc, which was glowing furiously. Tony glared at her and struggled futilely against the cuffs. 

 

"We had a good time in bed, didn't we, Anthony?" Morganna purred seductively. "Don't you remember, the way you fucked me hard, thrusting into me with that powerful cock of yours, relentlessly? The way you would scream my name as you released yourself within me. I loved the roughness of your beard on my breasts and thighs. We have chemistry, Anthony. Can't you see we are perfect for each other. I am your queen." Her voice had darkened with power and she stared straight into Tony's eyes. 

 

_This woman is going to blind him with lust now. Resist her, Tony!_

 

Morganna opened her robe and let it drop to the floor, exposing her nude body to Tony.

 

Pepper stared at her perversely beautiful body. _Those poor girls, she's taken their youth, to make herself a goddess._  

 

But Tony didn't even bat an eyelid at the woman's naked form.

 

Morganna then pushed her hand down his pants, feeling him roughly. She screeched angrily and Tony grinned at her.

 

He drawled "For all your beauty, you seem to have lost your sensual touch, Morganna. Perhaps Asmodeus is right. You would be better as a succubus." 

 

_He's not aroused by her at all. She does not have any power over him._   

 

But Morganna did not seem like she would give up so easily. "You just need a little physical encouragement, Anthony." 

 

She tightened her grip on his cock and Tony cried out in pain. Then she began to jerk his penis roughly, trying to force him to become erect. Tony gritted his teeth and cursed loudly.

 

With her other hand, Morganna slashed her nails across his chest, horizontally, scratching him hard. When even that didn't get a response from Tony, she instead, dug her nails deeply into his flesh and raked them down his chest, towards his groin, leaving bloody gashes in her wake. 

 

Pepper covered her mouth with her hand, to stop herself from crying out. Blood was dripping slowly onto the floor. His chest and stomach were badly scratched, in crisscrossed slashes and long straight cuts.

 

Morganna was lazily trailing her long sharp nail along his left cheek, leaving another laceration on his skin that started to bleed. Tony just closed his eyes tightly but didn't make a sound. 

 

She pulled his penis harshly again and he opened his eyes wide, his body bucking with the pain. Morganna licked the blood from his cheek and then slapped him hard across the face, making his lip bleed even more. 

 

Pepper felt horribly helpless and furiously angry at the same time. She tugged the blade free from the string on her chest and tightened her grip on its hilt.

 

_She's hurting him so badly, I have to do something. But...I can't defeat her if she uses magic. I must do something!_  

 

Just then, someone knocked on the door. 

 

Morganna yelled "Go away, I'm busy."

 

A hesitant voice said "Your highness, your guest of the evening is waiting in the basement chamber. Everything has been arranged as per your wishes."

 

Morganna looked at Tony thoughtfully. "I will be there in 10 minutes."

 

The door closed and she turned to pick up her robe and put it on. "Anthony, I do not have the time to play with you. I wish I had. But if you won't join me..." she turned to him and raised the jewel. "I will just take what I want from you. And what I want, is your flame."

 

She smiled evilly and started to murmur in an unintelligible language. "Ammon Ra, arurr tha, arurr tha, Asmodeus, Ammon Ra, Aung Un Ramaaaa"

 

The jewel began to change color, swirling into a dark red, like coagulated blood. She continued chanting, her face had gone pale and her eyes were dilated. 

 

Tony stared unflinchingly at Morganna. "Do your worst." 

 

Then he gasped as the jewel began to throb in dark pulses of red. Tony threw his head back hard against the board, his eyes wide and unblinking. His chest began to rise and fall deeply. He had turned so pale, that the veins in his neck and the side of his head became visible. 

 

Pepper felt the blood rush from her face as well. She clasped her hand tightly over her mouth, to stop herself from screaming.

_Oh God, she's draining him, she's draining him of the blue fire! Tony!_

 

She saw Morganna gently open the steel lid on his chest. Then Tony made a choking noise as the flame slowly began to flow out of his chest, moving in soft waves, like a stream of water. The stream of fire entered the jewel with a loud hiss. More and more of the flame began to flow in waves, out of Tony and he started to jerk softly. His eyes were moving frantically, still wide and unblinking. 

 

Morganna gasped with pleasure as the jewel absorbed the streams of flame. "So much power, so much light, how have you managed to keep this within you, Anthony? Her hand that held the jewel, was shaking with the raw energy flowing into it, with force. 

 

Tony gasped and his breathing slowed. A thin trickle of blood began to bleed from his nose. His chest jerked hard once as the stream of flame ended and was swallowed by the jewel.

 

Pepper started to pray. _Leave Morganna, leave please... hold on Tony. Hold on._

 

Morganna put the jewel around her neck and patted Tony on the cheek. 

"There, there now, it is all over. Thank you for your gift, Anthony. I promise you, I will use it for no good. The servants will clear out your corpse tomorrow." She laughed and left the room. 

 

No sooner had the door closed, Pepper burst out of the closet and ran to Tony. He was breathing very slowly as if each breath was a horrible effort. His eyes were staring at her in wonder but he couldn't speak. 

 

"It is fine, Tony, I am going to save you, it is ok..." Pepper touched his face comfortingly but he was so cold and clammy. _Just like Queen Jacinta, before she..._

 

The arc hole was empty and dark. She did not know what to do. _What should I do? What should I do, Tony?_ she sobbed. 

 

He just stared at her wordlessly.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was inspired by The Singing Detective for Pepper's voyeurism from the latticed cupboard.
> 
> Also the obvious inspiration was the scene from Iron Man where Obadiah paralyses Tony using the pulse do hicky thingie (Sonic Taser)


	10. Remember to use the Light

 

_We have two lives and the second begins when we realize we only have one. - Confucius_

 

Pepper stared in despair, as Tony's breathing slowed down to barely a wheeze. His eyes had started to close.

_I do not know what to do. I do not know what to do. Think Pepper, think. The flame left Tony like a stream. It flows from one vessel to another. A vessel. Wait!_

She gasped.  _He's transferred a part of the flame to the moonstone!_  "The moonstone!" She exclaimed out loud.

She pulled it out of her satchel. It was throbbing gently. She rubbed it and it seemed to burn at her comfortingly.

She held the moonstone in one hand, straight ahead of her, pointing towards the arc hole in Tony's chest. The flame began to glow. Pepper moved the stone closer to the hole and then yelped as the flame began to leave the stone and flow outwards towards Tony. She braced herself to keep her arm steady as the flame was radiating outwards with force.

The stone emptied, the flame was entirely in Tony's chest and Pepper gently closed the lid of the arc. She bit her lip with worry. Tony was still cold to her touch and his eyes were closed. He wasn't breathing either.

_Don't tell me it is too late. Please Tony, wake up. Please._

Pepper started to cry softly. She leaned forward and gently hugged him, his body cold and stiff. She laid her head against his face and whispered to him, brokenly, "Please Tony, wake up, wake up, come back to me. Please Tony, don't die." She repeated this like a prayer, tears streaming down her face.

* * *

_He was drifting in an abyss, endlessly, drifting or flying or floating? It didn't matter any more, as long as he got to where he wanted to go._

_Where am I going exactly? And why is it so cold?_

_He clasped his arms around himself. It is cold, so cold. And so dark. It is nightfall? Where is the moon?_

_He heard voices whisper to him. Wake up, wake up. Come back. Please don't die._

_Come back to what, he shouted back into the emptiness. Come back to what?!_

_Let me drift in peace, whoever you are, whatever you are. Let me float in solitude._

_Please Tony, wake up. Wake up._

_I know that voice._

_Suddenly there was a light in the distance. A moon. White and pure, so high above him. He drifted towards the moon in the dark, no path or road to guide him._

_I've always loved moonlight. Why can I smell lilies?_

_He felt warmth surround him, envelop him. The moon had turned blue and fiery. Flames surrounded it like a circular, fiery frame. Blue flames. Cerulean blue. I know that color._

_Let me get closer._

_The voice began to call again. Wake up Tony, come back to me, Tony._

_A different voice, animal in nature, began to whisper. It was another familiar voice._

_Anthony. Anthony, you must come find me. I cannot remain outside you. Find me, Anthony._

_He was much closer to the moon, which seemed to be growing larger and larger as he neared it. He could feel the heat of its flames on his face and his body. The flames danced gleefully in front of his eyes. He could see himself in them, reaching out._

_He closed his eyes to stop the dancing flames. Instead he saw them dance even more, this time in red and gold. A very familiar shade of red and gold. He knew it would be soft to his touch._

_Come back to me, Tony, the human voice whispered brokenly. Please... please come back._

_He opened his eyes and saw the moon was so close, he touched it in wonder and it pulled him into its blue flaming depths. He sighed as he felt its gentle, blue, glowing warmth engulf him._

* * *

Tony felt weak but alive. He knew he wasn't in the dream abyss anymore. His chest stung and ached, thanks to Morganna's scratches. Or perhaps gashes were a better word. They felt deep and sensitive.

He could also feel something soft and warm leaning on one side of his body. And then he felt wetness as well.

He opened one eye cautiously to see a mass of tousled, red gold hair.  _Pepper..._  he sighed.

He must have said it aloud because she moved backwards suddenly, out of surprise. Her eyes were wide and red. Tear streaks ran down her cheeks.

His mouth felt as if it was full of wool. He managed to murmur weakly. "Pepper, what are you doing here?"

"How... how did you enter the castle? I locked you in the inn room."

She stared at him, relief and joy evident in her wide eyes. He cleared his throat and looked around.  _I feel so stiff and weak. The flame. I remember ..._

He jerked at his cuffs, trying to see his chest. Pepper cupped his jaw and forced him to look at her.

"Calm yourself, Tony. It's fine. I put the little flame from the moonstone into you. Morganna.." Peppers face tightened. "She took the rest. She drained it from you."

Tony closed his eyes.  _The flame. The dragon. I've got to get them back. Dragon, where are you, my friend?_

Suddenly he felt so empty. The sibilant mocking voice in his head was silent.

He felt one of his wrists freed from the cuffs and looked down to see that Pepper had used a hair pin to pick the lock. She moved to his leg.

He said lightly, "So this is how you managed to escape the inn. Huh..."

She glanced up at him and smiled but didn't stop what she was doing. "This is also how I managed to escape the slave camp. I picked the lock on my chains."

She had freed one side of his body and he stretched his hand and leg in tandem, trying to reduce the stiffness.

"Where's Happy? Is he alright?"

"He's gone back to the inn to get your armor. He's fine."

Tony sighed. "Good to hear. I need to get the flame back at any cost. Facing Asmodeus without its strength, will be suicide."

Pepper looked puzzled. "Asmodeus?"

He told her what Morganna told him. About her deal with the demon lord and her desire to control the demon.

Pepper freed his leg and moved to the last cuff on his left hand. "But Tony, this plays in our favor. Don't you see? Morganna doesn't want this demon to learn of our plans. So she won't show him the flame. So we can still get it back."

He nodded thoughtfully. "You are right, Pepper. She will hide it from him."

"Tony, Morganna hasn't told you how she's manages to look so beautiful, has she?"

He shrugged "No. She was always a beautiful woman but she didn't have this damn power of lust."

The look in Pepper's eyes made him ask, "Why, what do you know, that I don't?"

It was his turn to be wide-eyed as Pepper told him the horrifying story of the young women in the dungeon and of Queen Jacinta.

Tony stretched out his left side slowly. He was finally free and standing upright in front of Pepper. He couldn't believe what she was telling him.

He said slowly "Morganna has... surpassed all known depths of depravity. This is truly horrifying. How many young women do you think she's killed?"

Pepper's eyes were shimmering with deep anger and sadness. "There are at least 8 women in the dungeons right now. From what I heard, at least 5 or 6 women a day, are taken to her. And she's been doing this for two weeks, ever since she came to power."

He said grimly, "We must stop her. We must destroy the jewel."

"What about the demon?"

"We can't kill it. It's too powerful. We can cage it and send it back to where it came from. First, I need my flame." He collapsed suddenly, feeling very weak. Pepper rushed to his side, supporting him.

He leaned on her, breathing in her familiar scent. He was very glad she was there. He whispered in her ear, "Thank you, Pepper. For coming back for me."

She looked at him with soft, warm eyes. "We will defeat this evil, my lord. Together. I won't let you down."

"And I won't disappoint you either. Now do you have any ideas, on where she kept the flame?"

Pepper grinned at him and pulled out a thin scrap of parchment from her bag. "I know just where to start."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A very subtle but sweet depiction in Iron Man is that Pepper''s love for Tony is what saves him from Stane's Sonic Taser.
> 
> Pepper does not throw away Tony''s arc reactor after removing it. Rather she frames it and gives it back to him as a gift. He feels collecting it is sentimental but ultimately it saves his life.
> 
> I've tried to twist the depiction here by showing that Tony's thoughtful gift to Pepper ironically ends up saving his life later.
> 
> Sorry for getting carried away with the whole Tony-moving-between-life-and-death part. I just couldn't stop writing it. And yes, it seems that Pepper pulls him back to life from the abyss of death. All I can say is ... when a man loves a woman...
> 
> Bloodborne inspired the giant moon bit. Beautiful video game.. any players out there? Give me a shout out if you do.


	11. Return to the Flame

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your kudos and comments on the Adventure so far. The battle with Morganna is coming soon.

_The gem cannot be polished without friction nor man without trials - Confucius_

Walking through the narrow passageway, was difficult. Tony needed support as he was still too weak. Pepper had caught him, firmly about the waist and was gently urging him forward. The only source of illumination was the faint light from his chest.

Sometimes when he would walk ahead, she had to support him from behind. He had not reached a normal body temperature yet, a fact that was worrying her but she kept it to herself.

He was breathing heavily as well. Halfway through, she reached into her pocket for the map and Tony helpfully leaned himself on the opposite wall. He closed his eyes tightly.

She asked with worry, "Tony, are you alright? Perhaps you should wait ..."

He cut her off instantly. "I'm coming with you, Pepper, end of discussion."

She wanted to argue but he looked so tired that she felt sorry for him. She reached out to push away a lock of his hair, that was falling into his face. His cut hair had grown out appealingly, giving him a rather dashing, disheveled air.

He caught her hand tightly as it pushed the hair back and looked at her intently.

She swallowed hard at the emotions in his eyes.  _Sorrow, regret, pain... I can't bear to see him like this._

"Listen to me, Tony," she whispered firmly, "We are going to get through this. You will get the flame back. Do not despair. I will be here with you, come what may."

She looked at the map then, as he slowly let go of her hand. "We need to take 10 more steps. There will be a hollow wall on your side."

She braced herself and pulled his body onto her, bearing his weight. She felt his head touch hers sideways and he sighed softly. Then he began to walk with her.

They reached the wall and Pepper reached for the indentation. She pressed it slowly and then gestured to Tony, to be as quiet as possible. She slowly slid the wall sideways and looked out. She listened carefully but she heard no sound. She put her head out cautiously and looked around.

This was clearly a royal bedroom. A luxurious four poster bed with thick red drapes and a large cupboard. A small table with four chairs, food was laid out on it. A velvet love seat and huge, mahogany armoire in one corner.

Pepper stepped out and realized there was another fireplace in the room. This fireplace must have been built especially for hiding the passageway. There was clearly no one in the room and Pepper walked towards the bed, determined to find the special glass containers Queen Jacinta had mentioned.

She heard a soft groan and turned abruptly, then ran back to the fireplace as Tony slowly straightened himself and stood in the room.

She chided him. "Tony, really? You should have called me back. Be careful please."

He chuckled at her. "I didn't want to hold your curiosity back." He sat on the bed gingerly.

Pepper ignored him and opened the cupboard, looking for the containers.

"Pep, what are you searching for?"

She explained without turning around. "Queen Jacinta told me that the jewel can contain a limited amount of energy at a time. So once Morganna drains beauty, she transfers the energy of a day into these special containers made of crystal."

She pulled out the shelves of the cupboard, one by one.  _No containers here._

She continued. "In the middle of Morganna..." she paused here, she didn't want to talk about Morganna abusing Tony.

But Tony filled in, "trying to jerk me off..." with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"There was a knock on the door. Someone came to tell her that her guest was ready. That means at this moment, Morganna is busy..." again Pepper paused, trying not to be crude.

Tony once again added, "sarding someone's brains out..."

"Thank you Tony, for that lovely mental image... Anyways she's going to need the jewel to be empty for so much energy. So if the jewel is with her..." here she paused, expecting Tony to complete her sentence but he didn't, he was busy digging under the covers of the bed.

Pepper huffed and continued herself, "So if the jewel is with her, the flame must be here in a crystal. Also, she intends to keep it a secret from the demon, so she can't tell him. She has to hide it till she knows what she wants to do with it. Consarn it! It is not in here."

She flushed at her swearing and heard Tony chortle loudly. She looked at him, an eyebrow arched. He was waggling both his eye brows at her in a mischievous manner.  _The color has returned to his face. He looks much better._

Tony held up a largish wooden chest and said "Would you be referring to these containers, milady?"

Pepper gasped as he opened the box to reveal rows of crystal cylinders. She rushed over to him.  _Oh my, look at all the crystals. They are so beautiful._

Each crystal was the size of a quill pen with the width of a fist. They were trapezoidal in shape with red glass lids. Pepper picked up a crystal filled with a bright gray smoky fluid. It looked like liquid moonlight except it was thick and viscous. It glowed at her touch as if it was alive.

Tony said soberly, "That must be the life fluid she drains from the young women."

Pepper looked at him sharply. "How do you know that?"

He shrugged. "The demon keeps the souls and she keeps the beauty. This is clearly not a soul and it's not the flame either."

Pepper looked at the tube with new eyes now and shuddering deeply, placed it back. Then she saw the tube Tony was holding.

It was filled with a stream of blue flames, sparkling and flowing. She cautiously touched a finger to the tube and was shocked at its burning warmth.

"Come back to me, old friend." said Tony softly, his eyes lighting up. And before Pepper could do anything, he opened the arc lid in his chest and smashed the crystal against it.

Pepper nearly shrieked but managed to cover her mouth in time, as she saw wave after wave of blue flame, envelop Tony's chest. It seemed to be on course as it surged into his chest and he jerked back powerfully with its raging force.

He had closed his eyes and Pepper watched as he began to breathe harshly, as if trying to take it all in. Pepper didn't know what to do. She whispered "Tony..." but there was no reaction.

So she leaned towards him, to touch his forehead, when he suddenly opened his eyes, wide and looked straight at her. She gasped because blue flames danced in his eyes, blue on pitch black.

She said "Tony" louder, trying to snap him out of the trance and the flames cleared from his eyes. It appeared that the flame had completely disappeared into Tony, so he slowly slid the arc lid shut. He then smiled happily at Pepper, familiar molasses-colored eyes shining. She couldn't help but grin back.

"Feeling better?"

He answered brightly, "Better? I've never felt better, Pepper. My life, my strength, my light is back."

He stood up straight and stretched himself luxuriously. Pepper stared in fascination at the way the muscles in his arms and chest tightened and flexed under his skin. Suddenly, he seemed very alive and strong.

Tony looked at the remaining four crystals, which were filled with youth/beauty. He picked up one and stared at it thoughtfully. Then he said, "We should set them free."

'What, what do you mean, Tony?"

"Well, this is the life force or attractiveness of the young women Morganna kidnapped. We can't bring those women back to life but at least in death, we can give them some peace and set this energy free. If we keep the crystals here, the castle folk may preserve these filled crystals because of superstition or their aesthetic appeal."

She nodded. "How many such crystals are there?"

"Four." He walked towards the room's window and handed Pepper two crystals. Then he flung the window open and opened the lid of a crystal. The crystal's liquidy contents began to drift into the night on the gentle breeze.

Pepper felt it looks like a silver stream of light swirling into the night.  _It is so beautiful but I can't help but feel sorry when I think of those poor women._

Tony opened the second crystal and Pepper did the same. They stood there in solemn silence, watching as the streams of silver drifted upwards and slowly faded as they were absorbed by the night air... shimmering as they did so.

_"_ As is a tale, so is a life:

Not how long it is but how good it is,

Is what matters "

Tony said softly. He took Pepper's hand in his and held it tightly. Then he bowed his head.

"We will deliver justice onto your killer, fair maidens. Rest in peace."

Pepper mimicked his pose and said a silent prayer of her own. Then they both stepped away from the window and looked at each other quietly.

"Tony, what do we do know?"

He tapped the arc on his chest lightly with his fingers. The flame seemed to burn brighter at his touch. There was a determined glint in his eyes.

"I know how to defeat the demon. And I will need you and Happy for that. Where did you tell Happy to meet us? We must plan our attack together. But first..."

He stepped towards the armoire. "I must find a shirt to wear."


	12. Battle Plan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter before.... *drum roll* the battle.  
> Also, it is unusually long... huh... I wonder how it got so long...

_If you think in terms of a year, plant a seed; if in terms of ten years, plant trees; if in terms of 100 years, teach the people. - Confucius_

 

The dragon was so pleased to be back with Tony, that he wouldn't stop chattering. He huffed and puffed and roared as he spoke excitedly about facing the demon. Tony laughingly asked him to keep quiet for some time as they needed to focus. 

 

Pepper had told Happy to meet them in the dungeons in an hour. An hour had definitely passed, so she and Tony were once again, back in the passageway. 

 

They had been walking through the narrow pathway for 10 minutes, when a niggling doubt began to form in Tony's mind. He stopped abruptly and Pepper bumped straight into him. They had decided he should lead the way as his arc was the only light source. She gasped but steadied herself by catching his arms and remained flush against him for a moment, still stunned by the impact. 

 

Tony mentally girded himself because his body was enjoying the feel of soft, warm Pepper pressed against his back. He could feel every lush contour and curve against him, her warm breath on the back of his neck and the gentle touch of her fingers on his arms. He inhaled deeply, the scent of lilies filling his nostrils.

 

_Hmmmmm, now who's not focused?_  whispered the dragon mockingly.

 

Tony snapped out of his sensual stupor. He moved away from her, turned and said out loud. "One for the demon lord, one for the witch, but what about the jewel?"

 

He could dimly see Pepper trying to look at him in the dark. 

 

He explained, "Pep, we have blades to fight Morganna and the demon but we need something magical or otherwordly to pierce the jewel. To destroy it. It is the source of Morganna's power and holds some part of the demon..."

 

Pepper completed, "So if we don't destroy it, we can't defeat them." 

 

He nodded. "The demon can be sent back to wherever it came from but Morganna would still be strong. We need to weaken her to finish her and only breaking the jewel will do so. Now, what can break a powerful dark magic object?"

 

The dragon whispered,  _Something that has the power of goodness and light. The opposite of evil. Fight the darkness with light. There is such an object in this castle. I can sense it but I do not know what its physical form is._

 

Tony tapped his arc thoughtfully and said "Let's go to the throne room. There may be something there."

 

He looked at the map and then turned rapidly, herding Pepper in the opposite direction. 

 

"This way, Pep!"

 

* * *

 

Pepper wondered if Tony was indeed alright after his reunion with the flame. They were sneaking around in the throne room where Tony was seemingly having an animated discussion with himself. 

 

"It is a weapon, yes?"

"Well... if it isn't a weapon, how would we use it to break the jewel?"

"What do you mean, it isn't a conventional weapon, it is an object, could you be more vague?"

He ended with an exasperated "aaaaarrrrrgh" and then suddenly realized Pepper was staring at him curiously.

 

"Who are you talking to, Tony?"

 

Tony looked flustered and replied "No one, just talking out loud." 

 

Pepper understood his worry. _I understand now. He's talking to the living spirit inside of him. But he doesn't want me to think he's crazy. He doesn't know I know his secret from Jarvis._

 

She whispered soothingly, "Tony, you can tell me anything. I won't judge you, I promise. Does the flame talk to you?" 

 

He looked at her searchingly and signed deeply, as if the burden of his secret had finally wore him down.

 

"The flame is sentient. It is the spiritual form of a powerful being, who died a long time ago. The being lives within me as long as I have the flame. He is really talkative. But he is my friend, my companion. His presence makes me a better man." He shrugged and looked away. 

 

She came closer and whispered "What is this being called?"

 

He whispered back, "His name is Ryunn but it seems disrespectful to call him by his first name. So I call him The Dragon."

 

The flame in Tony's chest flared at its name being mentioned. Pepper smiled at Tony, "So what does the dragon say we need to find?

 

A slow smile broke out on his face, in gratitude for her acceptance. He continued to walk forward. "He says it is the leftover piece of an otherworldly object. And that it has been preserved in this room for a very long time." 

 

He came to a halt and pointed at a case on the wall. "Could that be it?"

 

Pepper followed his gaze. A large dagger was in the glass showcase. It was a dangerous weapon of beauty, with a bejeweled hilt and serrated edges. 

 

She was confused. "Is that a holy or magical blade? Should we use it to destroy the jewel?"

 

"No" he said. "Look at what the dagger is sheathed in."  

 

She saw that the dagger was embedded in a large, jagged rock, which looked like it had been broken off from a much larger rock. The rock was a dark, brownish red with tints of deep black.

 

She stepped closer and quietly read the inscription below the case.

 

The dagger of Aramiah is a beautifully crafted weapon, gifted to King John by his loyal subjects, on the anniversary of his 10th year on the throne of Carinthia. But the true gift is the rock in which the dagger is sheathed.

A long, long time ago, when the city was very young, a giant rock fell from the sky in a fiery blaze, on the outskirts of the city. The holy men said this was a sign from the heavens. The place where the rock fell, was revered as a holy site. The giant rock was protected at all times by a section of the royal guard. People came from far and wide, to see it, to admire it because it was rumored to have magical properties.

One stormy night, blasts of lightning stuck the rock, first at the center and then repeatedly, splitting it into multiple smaller parts. The city's historians meticulously collected all the parts of the rock and moved them to the city's throne room. As the ages passed, each part began to disintegrate into smaller and smaller pieces, until nothing but a shiny, sharp powder remained. This is the only part of the sky rock, that still remains. Because of its magic, any blade sheathed in it, will not turn brown with age .

Pepper looked at Tony, with wide eyes. "This is a holy rock, something that fell from the sky. In a blaze of light."

 

Tony nodded in agreement. "This is what we need." There was a lock on the case and he struck it with Pepper's blade but it didn't break.

 

Pepper stepped up with her hair pin. "Wait, let me pick the lock." She placed the hair pin in the key and began to move it slowly, until the lock opened. Then Tony gently opened the case and pulled the dagger out of the rock. The rock seemed to glow softly as he caressed it with his fingers. "This is what we need." he repeated with wonder.

 

He picked up the rock and said, "Onwards to our friend in the dungeons."

 

* * *

 

Tony and Pepper used the passageway, to land right next to the main staircase, that descended to the dungeons. It seemed like a battle was taking place below, in full swing. They could hear sounds of swords clashing, grunting and yelling. Then a loud male yell was heard. 

 

Tony and Pepper looked at each other and said at the same time "Happy!"

 

They ran down the staircase, Pepper clutching her blade in her hand and Tony with the rock raised. Those were the only weapons they had. When they reached the bottom, they were stunned by the scene before them.

 

It was the prisoners led by Happy, versus the palace guards. Happy had let all the prisoners go, so each young woman was armed and angry. The palace guards were slightly tipsy and didn't seem to be completely in their senses. So the fight was evenly matched. The combatants had paired off and were seemingly having a good time, fighting each other with gusto. Happy was in the center, taking on all stragglers enthusiastically, his large frame setting him apart from the smaller guards.

 

Tony wondered why the guards seemed so... off balance. The dragon whispered, _Morganna's attention is distracted by having sex, so her hold on these men is off balance, so in turn they are not in their senses. Do not kill them, they are not in control of their own minds._

 

Tony whispered the same to Pepper. She had picked up a small shield from one fallen guard and had adopted a fighting stance, blade raised, shield firm. He felt a rush of pride at her readiness and skill. Then he saw a bag thrown carelessly on the other side of the dungeon, his helmet peeking out from it.

 

He pulled Pepper close to him and whispered in her ear. "I can see my armor, I'm going to circle around, wear it and stop the fight. You be careful, they are affected by the jewel but they can still hurt you. Good luck, Pep."

 

She gave him a sideways glance, her eyes full of excitement, mind focused on the fight ahead and he laughed softly. "Maybe I should wish the guards luck instead." That made her giggle and he let her go, then ran up the stairs. 

 

* * *

 

Pepper studied the guard-prisoner pairs and decided to help the ones closest to her. She charged at the guard's back, knocking him down with her force and he fell to the ground hard. Then she punched him in the jaw with the shield. The young maiden breathlessly thanked her. 

 

She turned and saw a guard chase another woman, sword raised, woman screaming. She ran after the guard and then came to a screeching halt, as he turned to face her, eyes gleaming, sword raised. She gulped and raised her shield, bracing for the blow. Suddenly a nimble figure jumped on the guard's back, clinging to his neck, covering his eyes and screaming at the top of her lungs. The guard flailed about wildly and another woman cunningly tripped him with her leg. He fell over and the three women pounced on him, hammering him with clubs and shields. Pepper recognized them as the maidens from Boron, the ones she gave the apples to. She smiled at them in thanks and the tallest one said, "You are welcome, Pervert."

 

Happy was busy boxing the lights out of the guards circling him and seemed to be enjoying himself immensely. Then a loud roar was heard from the other end of the dungeon. Everyone stopped and turned in that direction. Pepper smiled slowly.

 

She heard a low murmur, a whisper, pass through the crowd, both guards and maidens alike. "The Iron Knight is here." "The Knight of Iron is here." 

 

She stood on tip toe, to see the familiar, awe-inspiring sight of Tony, clad in his black steel chest plate, full-face great helmet and steel gauntlets and greaves. The flame in his chest, seemed to shine brighter today, enveloping him in a frightening, unearthly blue glow.

 

_I'll never grow tired of seeing him stride in, clad in armor, flame glowing. The man is truly magnificent._

 

He raised his curved sword and said in a commanding tone "Noble guardsmen of Carinthia, you have been placed under a powerful spell, thanks to the evil witch who sits on your throne and masquerades as your Queen. Put down your arms, now. We have no wish to harm you."

 

Some guards seemed frightened enough and lowered their weapons. However, one bold one snarled and threw a wooden club straight at Tony. Who very calmly, raised his gauntlet and blasted the club with a burst of blue flame, turning it to fine ash. 

 

Pepper grinned. _The man also knows how to wow a crowd._

 

Tony asked sternly, "Who wants to be stupid and throw something else at me?"

 

The fire show seemed to have scared the guards and they immediately threw down their weapons. The maidens began to push them into the cells and lock them in. 

 

Happy came towards Tony, a look of unabashed awe on his face. "Tony, I wish I could learn how to do that." Then he shuffled his feet and looked downwards, trying to be casual. "I was worried about you. They took you away and I'm sorry, I lost my senses too, over that Queen. I hope you are ok...".

 

Tony stepped up to him and enveloped him in a hug, made slightly awkward by the armor.

"I'm so happy to see you alright, Happy. I had a near death experience and it made me realize... I'm just glad you are fine." 

 

Pepper tried to control her giggles at the two manly men, trying to hide their relief at each other's presence. 

 

Tony cleared his throat and looked at the maidens, who had collected together and were staring at him with wonder. "You seemed to be having a good time, fighting with your own army. of beauties. Are you lovely maidens, all right? Any one injured?"

 

The crowd of women shook their heads, in awe of being addressed directly by the Iron Knight. Then one of them, Pepper recognized her as the tall blonde maiden from Boron, stepped out from the crowd. She asked curiously, "What are you going to do next, Lord Knight?" 

 

Tony said "Why, destroy the evil Queen of course and free noble King John, from wherever he is imprisoned." The crowd cheered and Tony raised his hands to quieten them. "But first, I and my two fighting companions, are going to discuss a battle plan and we are going to arm ourselves for the battle ahead. In the meantime, please head back to the city and find shelter for the night. Once this is over, we will meet to help you get back to your villages and back to your families." 

 

The young blonde woman looked at Tony beseechingly. "My Lord, we can not leave. We want to help! We want to fight the Queen too. She imprisoned us unfairly." Other women began to chime in as well. "We want to fight too!" "Come on, let us help you in the fight." "We can fight too." 

 

Pepper looked at the eager, anxious faces of the young women and then leaned closer to Tony. "We could use their help, Tony. Look at their eagerness. You can't refuse them." 

 

Tony whispered back "We are going to face a witch and a demon, they are just young girls. Suppose they get hurt? Or killed?" 

 

The worry in his voice, touched Pepper. But she understood their passion to be involved. "The more, the merrier. We will let them know of the risks and let us see how many still want to fight."

 

Tony nodded. He briefly spoke about Morganna's activities and the demon lord. This seemed to frighten most of the crowd, who admitted, they were not ready for this level of warfare and wanted to leave the castle. However, a few women stayed back, one of them being the Blonde from Boron (Pepper gave her a nickname).

 

Tony smiled at the remaining girls and then said "Let us discuss armor and weapons. Everyone needs to have a weapon and wear some form of armor. Happy, you go first. Show us what you've got."

 

Happy had dragged the large bag from the inn, to where they were standing. He took out a half helmet, a round shield and his favorite, the black battle axe from the workshop. He presented himself, grinning maniacally. 

 

Tony nodded his approval. "Happy, you are well equipped. Now, what about Pepper and the ladies?" 

 

The ladies just had clubs and Pepper just had her small blade. Tony tapped his arc, deep in thought. Then he snapped his fingers. "There's got be an armory, somewhere around in this castle." 

 

One of the women spoke up, "Yes sir, it is just above these dungeons. On the ground floor." 

 

"Great, let us go there and you lovely ladies can get suited up!"

 

* * *

 

Twenty minutes later, Tony watched Pepper and the other women, enthusiastically line up to be presented with weapons and armor, distributed by Happy, who had elected himself armorer for the day. 

 

In terms of armor, Happy provided quilted jackets and selective _cuir bouilli_  or hardened leather armor pieces, such as shin guards and arm guards. While the women put their armor on, Tony took Pepper aside and gave her a few items for herself, which she accepted with a smile. 

 

For weapons, Happy offered a choice between mace, short sword or steel club. 

 

Tony selected a short sword for Pepper and a round shield. He would use his trusted scimitar or curved sword but he needed a shield as well and picked up a handsome kite shield for himself. 

 

"Why are you using a shield this time, Tony? I thought your armor could handle anything." He turned to face Pepper, who was looking at him with worry in her eyes.

 

He replied, "The demon is going to use fire against me. So I need something to block his flame. I will counter with my own flame but I will need to preserve my strength and be on the defensive for brief moments. You need a shield too."

 

He held out the shield and the sword to her and watched as she took the sword with wonder, slowly sheathing it at her side. Then she took the shield and tried it out, checking the weight on her arm.

 

"Pep, do you have your dagger as well?" 

 

She nodded absently, still fascinated with the shield and pointed at the dagger, strapped to her hip. 

 

Tony took in the sight of Pepper, clad in reinforced plated mail armor, from chest to thigh. _My lady warrior is ready. I hope the armor is not too heavy for her._

 

He said aloud, "Pep, is the plate mail wearable? Can you move comfortably? Is it too heavy, tell me now."

 

She adopted a defensive stance with the shield and then pulled out her sword and charged forward.

She spoke, flush with excitement, "It is a little heavy but I can handle it. I feel very protected."

She then clanged the shield against her chest mail, as if testing its strength. Her enthusiasm made Tony chuckle and she looked at him askance. "Why are you laughing, Tony? Do I look comical in this? Do I?" 

 

He patted her lightly on the head, to calm her. "You look magnificent. Be careful, not aggressive." She smiled at him with an emotion in her eyes, that he didn't know how to identify.

 

Tony put on the rest of his armor as the Blonde from Boron (Pepper's nickname for the tall maiden) came over to twirl in her armor for Pepper. He called out to Happy "Hereald, are we done with the distribution?" When Happy nodded, Tony set down his shield and picked up his sword. 

 

"Come closer everyone, I am drawing out the battle plan on the floor."  

 

* * *

 

They descended as one, deeper and deeper, into the depths of the castle, Tony leading the way. The dragon was guiding him with whispers, _This way, this way... I can feel it... my, it has grown strong in its time here._

 

When they reached the lowest level, they landed at a very narrow passage, so narrow that only a single person could pass through at a time. At the end of the passage, was a solitary red door. 

 

Tony realized they had to go over their assignments now. They split up into two factions. The first, comprised of five young women, would stay one level above this level, making sure no guards disturbed the fight with Morganna. The second faction, he, Pepper, Happy and two young women, including the Blonde from Boron (whom Tony felt had hidden fighting talent), would enter the room and face the evil within. 

 

Good lucks were exchanged all around and Tony pulled his helmet down, over his face. He stopped outside the room, bracing himself, mentally and physically. He could feel the flame surging within him, roaring like a brilliant blue blaze. The dragon was highly excited. It was breathing out flames of blue fire in succession, as if it was practicing. 

 

He closed his eyes briefly, concentrating hard.

 

_Noble Ryunn, bless me with your rage, your flame, your power, your passion. I am but a humble channel. Let your flame flow through me and burn away this pestilence._

 

He saw the dragon unfurl like a giant, red and blue, scaly, swirl of flesh. Swirling through him. The blue flame began to dance in him.

 

The dragon whispered, _This is no ordinary foe but we are not ordinary beings either. Evil prevails when good men do nothing. We will send the demon lord back to the depraved depths from whence he came and we will wipe out all trace of his malevolence from this castle. Let the flame engulf those who harm the weak, who destroy lives, who wish to harm us._

 

He felt raw power of light and heat course through his veins. He looked at the women behind him, Happy and Pepper. "Remember the plan. For King John and Queen Jacinta, we fight!" They echoed his words.

 

He looked at Pepper who was breathing hard. Tony said quietly "May your blade meet every target true." She repeated them back to him, earnestly.

 

Tony pushed the door open and they entered the room.


	13. Facing the Demon - Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter and the next took 2 days to write and 1 day to review. I had to split them up because together they were too long. Phew, finally it is over.  
> Some blood and gore details ahead. But if you have been reading this fanfiction from the beginning, you know that's a given.

 

_The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones. - Confucius_

 

_**Chamber of Bone** _

 

The entire room was in shades of crimson. There were rich, blood red drapes and banners, all along the walls. The fireplace was painted red, against a dull brown wall. A beautiful, large high, Baroque chaise lounge was in a corner, blood red blankets and pillows sensuously arranged on it.

 

There was an oval, ornate mirror behind the chaise, so that the lovers on the bed could see their reflections in the mirror. All this furniture was towards the corner of the room, the center was empty. The fire was burning high.

 

Pepper stared at it as it burned with an unusual flame, thin and feathery, like tendrils, like streams of crimson. _Is the fire burning with blood?_   A tremor shook her body at that thought and she felt Tony lightly touch her shoulder, as if to brace her. 

 

They fanned out slightly. Pepper wondered, _Where is that bitch? Where is Morganna?_

 

"Morganna!" yelled Tony. "Show yourself, you devil. Face justice tonight!"

 

Pepper's heart began to thump loudly as the fire began to seep outside the fireplace, onto the floor. It lay there in a thick, shiny, red pool of blood and slowly a body began to rise from the pool. She heard the Blonde from Boron, shriek in fear at the sight. Finally, Morganna stood before them, seductively clothed in clingy crimson robes, midnight hair cascading down her back.

 

She said throatily "My, my, so many mighty people have come... just to face harmless old me. Welcome, welcome to the Chamber of Bone."

 

Then she threw back her head and laughed maniacally. "How rude of me, I forgot to mention my companion. He's busy snacking, so you will have to excuse his... appearance."

 

She gestured violently at the mirror, which began to creepily move forward on its own from behind the chaise lounge. Pepper and the group took a step back. But Tony stood his ground. 

 

The mirror clouded over and then turned black, darkness swirling in it. It cleared to reveal a man, only his torso and head were visible, screaming in pain, trying to crawl away from something behind him. The man's screams were piercing and they heard chomping, smacking noises emerge from the mirror.

 

Then the man was dragged away into the distance, still screaming. Splashes of flesh and blood began to dot the mirror's surface and drip onto the floor. Pepper wanted to vomit but controlled herself. _She's trying to frighten you. Do not fall for it. It can be defeated. Stick to the plan._

 

She nodded at the Blonde, who had gone very pale. Morganna was looking at them and grinning wickedly. She looked Tony up and down.

 

"My lord, you are truly a force to be reckoned with. Here I thought you safely dead and instead you are standing in front me. No matter, I admit I enjoy torturing you. This time I will draw it out." 

 

Tony laughed at her and yelled, "I'm not here for you, woman! I am here to face your master." He let out a burst of flame towards Morganna, who fell back to avoid it. Then he broke into a run and charged towards the mirror. Pepper watched with fear as the mirror swallowed him whole. 

 

Morganna watched him disappear with astonishment. "I have to applaud his gall. Now who amongst you is fearless enough to face me? Is it you, my large manly friend?"

 

She smiled lustily at Happy who gulped. "Now why does a handsome big man like you want to hurt me?"

 

Pepper tossed a pillow from the ground at Morganna who dodged it. The witch narrowed her eyes menacingly at Pepper, who insolently said, ""Time to face your fears, witch. Time to face me." 

 

Morganna laughed and said, "So be it, red haired fool. Oh, and for the rest of you... handle three of my admirers, will you?"

 

From her robes, she fished out a handful of what looked suspiciously like bones. Then she threw them down with force. From the impact, four skeletal forms appeared, flesh and sinew stuck to their bones. They began to move menacingly towards the two maidens and Happy. 

 

Pepper faced Morganna, sword raised, shield in front of her. 

 

* * *

 

_**Astral Plane** _

_Darkness, darkness, everywhere ... Dragon, are you still there?_

 

_Yes I am, Anthony and there is our foe. Look to your left._

 

Tony had explained this to Pepper and Happy. The demon was not completely in the mortal dimension, the one they occupied. He was in an astral plane parallel to it. He spoke to Morganna through the jewel and the mirror let him reach out to the mortal plane. Tony had to fight him in the astral plane and banish him from within it.

 

Tony hesitantly placed one step forward. There was no pathway or road or even a floor but blackness all around. He was literally stepping onto emptiness and he wondered if there was an edge to this plane and how would he make out, where to walk and where not to. 

 

The dragon murmured, _It is fine, there is no edge, it stretches infinitely, you cannot escape it unless through a banishing circle. Walk towards the demon._

 

Tony reluctantly moved towards the gruesome sight in the near distance. The courtier was ... torn open, his rib cage and bones exposed and his flesh in chunks and pieces around him. Like a cat, the demon was lying on its stomach and chewing on the exposed flesh of the corpse's belly. 

 

Tony swallowed as he saw huge curling horns, like that of a large ram, visible above the mangled corpse. The horns were moving. Then the demon lord raised his head. He stood up and stared at Tony.  

 

He was at least 8 feet tall, muscular and broad chested with huge arms, thick tree trunk-like thighs and hooves for feet.  His flesh was dull crimson in color. He had those imposing horns on his head and two, tiny wings at the top of his shoulders. His hands were humanish, with fingers and huge nails. A large pentagram was emblazoned on his chest. 

 

The demon had an intelligent, rather handsome face with a Roman nose and high cheekbones. His eyes were deep set in his face, wide and yellow with no pupils. Then he grinned and Tony halted in his tracks. He had rows and rows of large canine-like teeth. Blood dripped from his jaw and teeth. 

 

Tony swallowed again.

 

_Do not be afraid, Anthony.  We are not going to fight him, just stall him,_ murmured the dragon. 

 

Tony stopped a safe distance away from the corpse. He said jovially, "Greetings, Fair Demon Lord, Prince of Hell, Lord most powerful, Destroyer of Souls."

 

And Tony bowed from the waist, keeping an eye on the demon. 

 

The demon regally nodded his head and began to speak in an unholy, deep, gravelly voice. 

 

 

> **_Greetings, Knight in Blue._ **
> 
> **_I must applaud your manners._ **
> 
> **_Most humans either scream or run at me with a sword._ **
> 
> **_Now why are you here? In the astral plane._ **
> 
> **_Are you dinner or entertainment?_ **
> 
>  
> 
>  

Tony had sheathed his sword before entering the plane. He placed a hand on its hilt. 

 

"My lord, I'm afraid I'm neither. Your presence here is unwanted. Of course it is unwanted because you've been eating the poor fools who sleep with your consort. Anyways you must return to the depths from whence you came."  

 

The demon stroked his jaw slowly.

 

> _**Again, I must say, a polite knight is almost as fantastical a concept as a demon lord.** _
> 
> _**Yet here we both stand.** _
> 
> _**Since you are politely asking, I shall refuse... politely.** _
> 
> _**I'm enjoying myself too much.** _
> 
>  

 

_You don't need your sword, Anthony. Remember, we are going to cage him, not wound him. Use both hands on the shield._

 

Tony raised the kite shield as the demon began to chuckle evilly and his horns began to burn.

 

* * *

 

_**Chamber of Bone** _

 

Pepper mentally ran through the plan in her head as she and Morganna slowly circled each other. 

 

_Tony's going to make a banishing cage for the Demon Lord. Happy is going to make a banishing circle around the witch and he's going to smash the jewel with the rock, right in the middle of the circle. And me? I'm going to make Morganna pay for torturing Tony._

 

Morganna pulled out a pair of small blades and began to stretch herself languorously.

 

Pepper gritted her teeth. _Slowly and patiently. She's arrogant, I need to fool her into getting over confident and giving me an opening. I also need to wait for the jewel to break._

 

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Happy fight the undead courtiers with the Blonde from Boron and the other maiden. 

 

Morganna suddenly flung both blades at Pepper. Pepper raised her shield and managed to deflect both of them. 

 

She watched warily as Morganna conjured up a long thin saber out of thin air. She gestured at Pepper impudently.

 

_Do not lose your temper.  Do not get aggressive._

 

Pepper took a defensive stance and stood her ground. Morganna charged towards her and Pepper shoved the shield in her face, pushing her back. The impact knocked Morganna off balance and she stumbled.

 

She picked herself up and struck at Pepper with her sword, using a wide step. Pepper nimbly dodged out of reach.

It was her time to strike and Pepper raised her sword and brought it down on Morganna who raised her saber in time. The swords clashed loudly and Pepper and Morganna pushed at each other with force, each trying to knock the other one down. 

 

Pepper pulled her sword back abruptly, causing Morganna to fall forward. Pepper took advantage of this to box her squarely in the face. Her hand connected hard with flesh and bone.  Morganna cried out and moved away quickly, glaring at Pepper angrily. Her nose was bleeding. 

 

_First blood drawn by me._

 

* * *

__

_**Astral Plane** _

 

Tony panted, slightly out of breath as he quickly dodged another one of the demon's fire balls.

 

The demon was too large to physically chase Tony. Also, he was too full after eating. So he was breathing demon fire onto his hands, rolling it into balls of fire and lobbying them at Tony, who was running in a wide circle around the demon.

 

Tony felt the demon was playing with him, to tire him out before he actually got aggressive. He decided to aggravate him with some teasing.

 

"Such tiny balls, my lord? I expected more from a prince of hell. Take a look at my balls!"

 

Tony charged towards him and raised his gauntlet. He let out a powerful stream of flame that engulfed the demon but did absolutely no damage to it. 

 

The demon chortled merrily.

 

> **_Tiny, silly human._ **
> 
> **_Think your flame can match mine?_ **
> 
>  

He stopped laughing abruptly as a small rock hit him squarely in the eye. Then another. It was Tony turn to giggle as he threw small stones at the demon, hitting him in the face with great accuracy.

 

This seemed to piss the demon off. A lot. He roared powerfully and shook his great head. The pentagram in his chest began to burn.

 

> _**Disrespectful ant! You dare to throw stones at me!** _
> 
>  

He opened his mouth and blew a steady, hot stream of flame at Tony. Who raised his shield in front of his body and blocked it. The shield protected him but he could feel the heat of the flame on his body. He started to really sweat hard in his suit.  

 

_Wow, that's hot! I could have fried an egg with this heat. Phew! What do you think Dragon, are we doing fine?_

 

The dragon whispered, _Keep this up, Anthony. He hasn't noticed the stone circle around him. Now next step, you need to make a vertical ellipse. Slowly, slowly inch closer to the demon. Preserve your strength._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you like my depiction of Asmodeus, who is a real Prince of Hell.
> 
> Tony is actually going toe-to-toe with a demon. Wow, good on you, Tony.  
> If you expected Tony to physically fight the demon prince, well... that's not very realistic. Now you might say "Hey, this is fanfiction. What is supposed to be realistic about it?" But from what I've read, fighting a demon and surviving is next to impossible. Some amount of sorcery is needed.
> 
> So Tony and Pepper are fighting separately in two dimensions, together. I hope switching between dimensions doesn't get confusing for you nice readers. If it does, let me know I will redo this chapter and the next one.


	14. Facing the Demon - Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The battle continues... This is a looong chapter. Apologies for the length.
> 
> To truly explain what Tony does in the Astral Plane, I've made a small diagram. It is embedded in the story.

 

 

_To see the right and not to do it is cowardice. - Confucius_

 

 

**_Chamber of Bone_ **

 

 

One maiden had died while killing an undead courtier. Happy and the Blonde were busy battling the other three undead courtiers. Pepper had observed this from the corner of her eye.

 

 

 

She remembered that Morganna had been a lady-in-waiting before. So she and Pepper were at the same level in terms in physical fighting expertise. 

 

_But I've been training with a knight and a brawler. So I am better that her... at least slightly._

 

Morganna was trying to wipe her bleeding nose. Pepper suppressed a giggle at the pure childishness of her boxing Morganna in the nose.

 

_She's pissed, now she's going to be aggressive and make mistakes._

 

Morganna stepped forward with one foot and swung wildly at Pepper, who ducked the blow and hit Morganna again with her shield. The brunette huffed with the impact of the blow and took a few steps back, leaving a lot of room between her and Pepper.

 

 

 

She narrowed her eyes at Pepper and started murmuring something garbled under her breath. Pepper glanced sideways, she could see Happy fighting two undead courtiers with his fists. Another one had been killed. 

 

Then she saw the Blonde sneakily creeping around the room, behind Morganna, drawing a wide circle on the floor with the small piece of limestone. 

 

 

 

_Morganna and the courtier have to be inside the circle, when the stone is destroyed. I must keep Morganna occupied._

 

She charged and pretended to lunge wildly at Morganna, just to distract her. Morganna stepped back again and kept murmuring harder. Then Pepper watched in awe as a small, sharp shard of bone appeared out of nowhere in Morganna's hand. She threw it straight at Pepper's head and Pepper raised the shield to stop it. It pierced the shield and remained stuck there. Pepper gulped. It seemed Morganna had upped her game. 

 

_Alright, this is frightening, the shards can pierce steel, so they can pierce my armor._

 

 

 

Now in one hand, the witch was armed with a saber and in the other, small shards of bone, hard enough to pierce metal. She grinned evilly at Pepper as a fan of shards appeared in her hand and she flung them at Pepper. Multiple shards came towards Pepper, all at once and she raised the shield and stepped sideways but one shard grazed her leg badly. Her thigh was bleeding but Pepper could move.

 

Morganna took advantage of Pepper's injury and began to strike aggressively with the saber and throwing shards as well, trying to hit Pepper at any cost. It took all of Pepper's concentration to focus on dodging the saber's blows as well as the shards. Another shard grazed her shoulder but the plate mail protected her. Yet another grazed her arm and this time, scratched her flesh.

 

 

 

_Stay alert, Pepper! You are very narrowly missing them! She must not injure you._

 

Just then, there was a wailing moan and both Pepper and Morganna turned in shock, to watch the Blonde of Boron, skewer a lone undead courtier with the fireplace poker. Pepper winced as she saw the Blonde had got the poker firmly through the undead being's head. She was pulling him towards the fireplace, her intentions very grimly clear.

 

Morganna started to murmur once again, trying to conjure up a spell. Pepper was going to lunge at her to stop her but then a loud crack was heard behind them.  Morganna gasped and clutched her stomach in pain. She knelt on one knee, taking deep breaths. Around her, vapors of blood started to rise, like a thin red film in the air. 

 

 

 

Pepper turned around and smiled with happiness as she saw Happy kneeling in the center of the room, sky rock raised in his hand and the jewel on the floor, with a large crack in its center. Red light was shining from the crack.

 

Morganna was groaning with pain, still kneeling. Pepper yelled, "Happy, smash it, smash it good!" 

 

Happy brought the rock down with force and the jewel shattered even more. Instead of shards of glass, drops of blood were scattered all over the floor. The sight was sickening. 

 

Happy raised the rock again and hammered the jewel once, twice and thrice until finally the jewel broke into two clear fleshy parts. A burst of red light flashed as it broke. Happy wanted to take no chances and began to smash the other two pieces as well. The mirror began to crack loudly. 

 

 

 

Morganna was lying down on her stomach now, still moaning slowly. Pepper ran over to help the Blonde push the undead courtier into the fireplace. They finally managed to do so and watched him burn with glee. 

 

Then another loud crack was heard and Pepper saw the mirror had broken completely, its thick shards had fallen onto the floor and were dissipating into thick, red vapors. 

 

 

 

_It was completely magical in nature._

 

The Blonde joined Happy and they both started trying to break the two leftover shards of the jewel. 

 

Pepper looked at Morganna who had now stood up, her hair in her face. Strands of grey liberally dotted the once pitch black, luxurious hair. Morganna pushed her hair back and Pepper gasped.

 

 

* * *

**_  
_ **

 

**_Astral Plan_ **

 

 

 

 

Tony's plan to banish the demon, was simple. The demon needed to be enclosed in a part physical, part energy, banishing cage.

 

The cage would be made up of three circles:

  * The first would be wide and horizontal.
  * The second would be vertical and elliptical in shape.
  * The third would be in the 3rd dimension and would touch the edges of the ellipse and the wide circle. 



 

 

It would be a three-ringed force field, with one circle being physical in nature.

 

 

 

Now Tony's game of catch-and-cook with the demon, was for the very purpose of creating the first wide horizontal circle with a lot of small, black rocks. He had picked these up from one of the basement levels of the castle, where the floor was strewn with rocks. He had successfully managed to create the first circle and he knew the demon wouldn't leave it because the demon preferred to fight with fire, instead of getting close to him. 

 

 

_Before the second, it is time for the third circle. Dragon, are you ready?_

 

_Ready?! I was ready four hours ago, let me out and let me face him!_

 

Tony grinned at the dragon's enthusiasm. He slowly walked towards the demon, who was regarding him curiously, horns and head tilted to one side. Tony slowly slid the lid of the blue arc open. The flame began to escape like a thick, blue vapor. It pooled in mid air, a blue, swirling, bright mass of fire. Tony slid the arc lid back into place.

 

The demon's eyes had turned bright with inquisitiveness. 

 

 

> **_What sorcery is this, tiny knight? I am fascinated._ **

 

Tony couldn't resist showing off. _After all, how often does one get the chance to needle a demon lord?_

 

He tapped his armor loudly with his finger, to imitate a drum roll as the flame began to unfurl and rotate with speed, on the spot. 

 

"Say hello to my bright, blue friend!"

 

Then the flame rose high up into the plane's emptiness, veering slightly to the right of Tony, like a fiery blue ribbon and began to create a wide circle, enclosing Tony and the demon. It was truly a beautiful sight to behold, as it burned a bright blue path in the darkness, high above Tony and the demon, both of whom craned their necks to watch it move. It stretched itself around the stone circle and intersected the two outer edges of its breadth.

 

Of course, the demon didn't know about the stone circle. The ring stood still in space, stretched out, burning brightly, flames shining in the pitch darkness of the plane.

 

Tony was clearing his head for what was going to come next. It was his turn to create the second circle and he needed to concentrate. The demon was busy trying to blast the dragon's flame ring away with his own demon fire. When he realized the blue ring was too far away, he started to flap his wings and jump upwards, trying to fly. 

 

_Uh oh, he's starting to get antsy. Focus, Tony, focus!_

 

From the darkness above, the dragon's blue flame ring whispered loudly to Tony, _Anthony, Anthony, look inwards, look inside yourself. You are a Knight of Ryunn. You are blessed with this gift because you have been deemed worthy. Forget the past. Think of the present. It is your time to shine._

 

Tony focused inwards, channeling the remaining flame left within him.

 

_I and the Flame are one._

_The Flame chose me._

_I and the Flame are one._

_I will burn bright and banish the darkness._

 

 

He slid the arc lid open and felt the flame swirl and unfurl inside him, a powerful force moving within him. He felt like he was made of nothing but light and fire, there was no flesh to him. He closed his eyes and envisioned his body of light. Slowly the flame left the arc and rose upwards above him.

 

The flame leaving Tony this time, was different from when Morganna drained him. He was allowing the flame to leave him but it was still tethered to him, through a thin strand. The effort here was that Tony was controlling its passage in space, using only his spiritual strength. It took immense concentration to project the flame outside himself and steer it externally. 

 

He mentally pictured the shape he would be creating. _It must be perpendicular to the first circle._ He began to draw an ellipse, willing his flame to move and stretch in space. _This is like trying to move something, just with the force of my will._

 

 

 

Instinct told him to open one eye and he did so, only to see a giant ball of fire heading straight for him. He sidestepped it just in time, feeling the hot, burning heat of the fire, pass his body narrowly. 

 

The demon was not standing up anymore. It was kneeling on one thick leg. Its pentagram was not glowing either. 

 

Tony mused, _It seems... tired._

 

The dragon arc of light, above him, began to chuckle loudly. _Your large friend, Hereald, has done what we asked of him. Your turn, Anthony, complete the ellipse._

 

Tony closed his eyes tightly and began to focus once again, thinking of himself, thinking of positive thoughts. He remembered how he felt when he had completed his very first quest, saving a traveler from a robber. Then another quest, where he rescued a family of minstrels from a pack of wolves.

 

_It feels good to serve people, instead of destroying them. Instead of blood and sword, I use my light to save others from evil._

 

He thought of when he saved Pepper from the slavers. He remembered the gratitude of the prisoners, when he freed them from the main slave camp. He remembered the happy, cheering faces of the villagers, after the battle with the Chonsario. He thought of the smile on Heloise's face as he gave her his archery trophy. 

 

He began to draw the circle and then heard the demon roar. He opened one eye to see the demon breathe out a stream of flame, straight for him.

 

_Brace yourself, Anthony, it will not harm you now, your ellipse is too strong._ The dragon said smugly and loudly.

 

Sure enough, the moment the demon's fire touched the ellipse, it faded away. 

 

Tony wanted to celebrate this seemingly impossible feat. He impudently raised his fists at the demon, who was staring at him in shock. "Aha! My lord, it seems your fire has... fizzled out damply! Performance issues eh? Happens to some... Ahoy Poi!"

 

The dragon arc pulsed brightly. _Anthony! Focus! Now is not the time to gloat! Time to finish this. Enlarge your ellipse to touch the other circles._

 

_Right, right._ He concentrated once more and his ellipse began to increase in height, until it touched the dragon's arc of light, on the outer edges of the arc's circumference. 

 

The three circles now touched each other, through the dragon's arc. The demon had grown restless, sensing he was being cornered and walked over the mangled body, crushing it beneath his feet. He was now striding powerfully, towards Tony. 

 

_Uh oh, he's getting closer, now is the right moment to tighten the trap._

 

"Dragon," Tony yelled out loud, "let us do this together." 

 

The dragon arc of fire, began to pulsate and glow, blue and orange. It started to rotate slowly. Tony focused and began to move his ellipse away from himself and towards the demon. The dragon arc began to shrink in height and width, tightening over the demon. Tony's ellipse had completely encircled the demon vertically and intersected the dragon's arc. 

 

_Quick, Anthony, the stone circle, make it smaller!_ yelled the dragon.

 

 

 

The demon began to look around and tried to walk out of the cage but the arc and Tony's ellipse just moved with him. 

 

>  
> 
>  
> 
> **_There is something else here in the darkness,_ **
> 
> **_Something or someone guiding you,_ **
> 
> **_You foul , loathsome evil little cockroach of a man!_ **
> 
> **_What are you doing? How dare you try tricks with me!!!_ **

 

Tony had a couple of stones in his hand and began to drop them rapidly in a circle around the cage. The demon reached out to grab him and he jumped backwards quickly. He began to jog and drop the stones. When the last stone dropped, the demon took one step out of the circle and Tony shoved the shield at him, to push him back in. The demon pulled the shield off Tony and threw it away. But when he tried to step out of the circle, he couldn't, he was caged in by the energy. 

 

 

 

Tony grinned. _Finally, he's stuck._

 

_Time to recite the banishing spell. Together now, Anthony!_ said the dragon. 

 

Together in the darkness of the plane, standing in front of the caged demon, Tony and the dragon's ring of fire, began to recite monotonously. 

 

_ Beast of darkness, Demon of Night _

_ We banish you with holy light _

_ Go back to the depths from whence you came _

_ Demon Lord Asmodeus is your name.  _

 

The demon was now suspended in mid air, in the cage of three circles. He roared as the three circles tightened like chains around him, including the stone one. Tony concentrated hard on maintaining his circles strength.

 

 

 

>  
> 
>  
> 
> _**How, how do you know my name! How ... wait a minute, Morganna, that silly human female! Arggh...** _
> 
> __

They kept repeating the lines as a bright portal of fire began to appear beneath the demon. The demon struggled frantically but he couldn't break the chain of circles. 

 

The portal completely opened and the chains parted abruptly, dropping the demon into the portal. Tony heard the demon roar as he fell. . _into god knows where and what._

 

The stones fell to the plane and Tony opened his arc lid and watched with contentment as both his thin ellipse and the dragon's ring began to return to him. They swirled and twirled and finally entered the arc. He felt the brightness return to his body, the light flowing through his veins. 

 

The dragon purred contently in Tony's head. _I am tired but you did well, Anthony. You did something today, only a master of my flame could do. Yin Sen would be so proud of you if he could see you now._  

 

Tony felt tears in his eyes at the thought of Yin Sen.  _I owe everything to him. I hope my efforts to redeem myself, please him where ever he is._

 

The dragon whispered. _Anthony, we must go back. That damn demon could open another portal in this plane. Plus it is time to see what your pupil is up to._

 

_Pepper! How could I forget! Let's go back right now._

 

He pulled out a limestone piece from his little bag of stones and began to draw a chalk circle on the floor. Then he drew two lines which intersected each other within the circle, like an x and he stood on the x.

 

_Repeat after me, Anthony._

 

 

 

_Circle in the darkness, open a door_

_Take us back to where we were before_

_We walk amongst the living_

_We do not belong on this plane_

_Take us back to where we came_

A portal opened up in the circle and Tony fell through it, closing his eyes.  

 

* * *

 

 

_**Chamber of Bone** _

 

 

 

 

Pepper tried not to grimace as she looked at Morganna's face. Whereas a short while ago, the witch had smooth, silky skin with beautiful features, now her face had pock marks and gashes, as if the flesh had been nicked off on purpose. She had an ugly expression on her face, something between inner self-loathing and hatred. 

 

Pepper turned to look at Happy, who was hovering uncertain and said "This is between me and Morganna. We will settle it." She did not want Happy to interfere. 

 

Morganna straightened and then bent forward, one knee forward, one behind and raised the saber high, as if challenging Pepper to come at her. Pepper knew the woman was trying to bait her and stood her ground. A weird feeling of calmness swept over her body and mind. She felt alert but at the same time, eerily still and cold.

 

_Maybe I am tired. I do not know how much longer I can fight. Come to me, you bitch. I will not react._

 

Impatient, Morganna lunged forward, stabbing at Pepper, who deflected the blow. Then Morganna raised her saber, again Pepper deflected her blow, this time with her shield. Morganna stumbled backwards, an angry ugly scowl on her face, breathing hard. 

 

Pepper absently noticed the wrinkles on the woman's forehead and around her eyes. _She is not as old as she appears now. Losing the jewel has aged her somehow. Time to end this. I must not hesitate with the killing blow._

 

She remembered a move that she and Tony had practiced often, when he was teaching her how to spar called the Parry. A difficult but crucial move to kill an enemy. She gulped hard at the thought of killing Morganna. Then she remembered the crystals full of glowing, liquid moonlight and Queen Jacinta fading into ash. Her heart began to pound with anger.

 

Morganna does not deserve to live. _She's killed countless young girls and Queen Jacinta. She came so close to killing Tony after torturing him needlessly. She does not deserve to live. End this now._

 

She forced herself to slow her breathing, to calm her beating heart down. _Be patient Pepper, be patient, she will come to you. Deflect blow, strike in ribs and then push._

 

Sure enough, Morganna once again aggressively stepped forward, thrusting the saber. It seemed to come towards Pepper in slow motion. She used the shield sideways, with a lot of force, to knock the saber away from its path of motion. Morganna was stunned by the impact of the shield hitting her saber and her hand. She turned halfway with the force of the impact. Her ribs were exposed and in one single powerful motion, Pepper stabbed her dagger into Morganna's chest, in a visceral blow. Blood started to spurt from the wound. Morganna cried out and stumbled to her knees in pain.  

 

Pepper withdrew her dagger and stood over the bent woman, who was trying to staunch the badly bleeding wound. _It is fatal, she will bleed out._

 

Morganna raised her head and looked at Pepper, her face was so pale but her eyes were burning bright with anger and hate. A thin trickle of blood fell from the corner of her mouth. She opened her mouth to speak but she just gurgled. Then her eyes glazed over and rolled back in her head. She stopped breathing and Pepper couldn't move as she saw Morganna's body fall backwards, slowly. She just couldn't move with the mind-numbing horror that she had killed Morganna. 

 

A large hand stopped Morganna's body from hitting the floor, by catching her head. Pepper looked up dazedly into Tony's whiskey brown eyes, which were looking into hers with worry and concern. She dropped her sword loudly onto the floor. He slowly lowered Morganna's body to the floor, then stepped around it, to catch Pepper by the arms.

 

"Pepper, talk to me sweeting. It is ok, the witch is dead. You had to kill her, Pepper. She would not have let you live. It is over, the demon is gone, this witch is dead. The people of Carinthia will be free. We need to find King John. I need you to snap out of this now." 

 

Pepper stared at him, still feeling numb, Morganna's blood on her wrists, from when Pepper stabbed her. Tony gripped her hands and wiped them on his armor. He had taken out his gauntlets, so Pepper could feel his warm hands on her and the warmth of his flesh touching hers, comforted her. She suddenly felt devoid of energy.

 

So she leaned her head on Tony's shoulder as he soothingly murmured in Pepper's ear. He put his arms around her and she did the same to him, desperately needing a hug, as the fight had traumatized her. She felt her eyes well with tears and they began to run down her cheeks.

 

"The witch is dead. I should be happy. But, but... I killed her in cold blood." She whispered, mostly to herself. 

 

She heard Happy running out of the room, loudly exclaiming their victory. _It feels like a victory and yet ..._

 

Tony rubbed her back comfortingly and she sighed and caught him tighter. "Thank you, Tony" she whispered, breathing in his musky male scent with relief. 

 

_It is finally over._

 


	15. Pyrrhic Victory

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for so many comments on the last chapter.  
> This chapter is more about closing the threads of the adventure.  
> Only one more chapter for this adventure. Coming tomorrow.

_A superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions._

 

With Morganna dead, the palace courtiers and guards finally were free from the spell of lust. They had returned to their senses.

At first they were reluctant to accept Tony and Pepper's version of events. After all, there was a single body and a lot of blood in the room. No trace of a demon or a spell.

A few courtiers even suggested that Tony and Pepper were the villains here and had killed Morganna. However some f the palace cooks who had managed to resist the spell, supported Tony and Pepper's story. Pepper showed Queen Jacinta 's locket and this further proved their claim as the queen would not have given that locket to anyone.

Happy took on the responsibility of taking care of the kidnapped maidens. He collected them all in one place, took a roll call, grouped them by their place of origin and started to arrange for their safe transport back to their homes.

Tired but determined to find King John, Tony and Pepper searched the castle, with the help of the palace guards. But they just couldn't find him.

As they searched the basement levels again, Tony whispered to the dragon,  _I hope King John is still alive. I hope the demon did not eat him. If we do not find him, who will rule this Kingdom?_

The dragon whispered back  _The witch could not have killed him as she needed his royal seal and presence to fully be the queen. She would not have had any reach outside this city if King John was dead. So he has to be alive. She's hidden him very well somewhere._

Pepper was looking at the scrap of parchment that displayed all the secret pathways in the castle. She exclaimed suddenly and ran to Tony 's side.

"Look Tony, there is a secret path leading outside the castle. Could Morganna have hidden King John in the city?"

Tony looked at the map. "It would not hurt to try there. We have searched here long enough."

* * *

They took half the guards and went down to the castle's winery, where the secret passageway was present between two giant oak casks of mead. It was a very narrow space between two firm walls and each person had to squeeze and walk sideways to pass through.

Being the most slender of the group, Pepper was the first to enter the passageway and exit it. As she waited for Tony to follow her, she looked around in shock at where the passage way had led them.

It was a dark, dingy tunnel with a stream of water separating the tunnel into two halves. The stream of water was sparse now, so Pepper could easily jump over it and land on the other side. Pepper wrinkled her nose as there was a faint smell of excretment in the air.

She grinned as she heard Tony swear vividly as he pushed himself through the narrow passage. He finally emerged, grumbling under his breath and helped the guard who was right behind him.

Then he looked around as well and exclaimed "We are in the sewers!"

Just then a firm but low voice was heard, booming in the tunnel. "I say, is there someone there? Coeee! Can anyone hear me?"

Tony and Pepper yelled at the same time. "Yes we are here. Where are you?"

"Hoi, I'm right here at the end of this blasted tunnel. Come down this side please. Oh I'm so glad someone is here."

Tony, Pepper and two guards who had managed to jump the stream, walked down carefully. Right at the end of the tunnel, the water flowed over the edge to end up in the city's river. There was a steel grill covering this exit such that only water could pass through.

Pepper stared at the grill, wondering from where the voice was coming. There was only wall and grill to see.

"Psst, up here."

She looked up and nearly screamed to see two bright sparkly eyes, embedded in masses of brown hair. The very hairy face smiled reassuringly.

"I can assure you, my friends, I'm harmless. I'm just very hairy. Can you let me out, please, I'd like to stretch my legs."

Pepper saw that the hairy being was caged in the ceiling of the tunnel.

Tony came up behind her and asked suspiciously, "Wait, wait, who, what are you and what are you doing here?"

Before the being could answer, the palace guard next to Tony gasped and fell to his knees. "King John" he muttered in awe.

Pepper gasped too. "You are King John?! Your highness, I'm so glad you are in one piece. We have been searching for you all over the palace."

Tony said, "Wait, let's get you out." He started to hit the lock of the cage's door, trying to break it with his sword.

Then a burly guard stepped forward with an axe and Tony hopped out of the way. The lock was broken and the king nimbly jumped down. He stretched himself all over. Pepper averted her eyes as the king was clad only in his drawers and covered in hair.

"Your highness," Tony asked gently, "The witch is dead."

"Oh thank god! That she devil bewitched me. What has she done to my kingdom?"

Tony hesitated and Pepper knew why. He said, "Let us go to your chambers, my king and talk. You need to rest."

* * *

King John insisted on talking with them as his barber trimmed his immense beard and hair. Apparently Morganna had hexed him with a hairy spell, so that no one would recognize him.

Just as the dragon had said, Morganna could not kill the King immediately but did not want anyone to know she had imprisoned him. So she kept him caged up and from time to time, would come with food and taunts.

King John was astounded by their tale of Morganna's spells and depravity. He trembled with rage at being told of her murders, both courtier and maiden alike. Then he broke down in tears when Pepper told him that his beloved Queen Jacinta was no more and handed him her locket.

Tony looked at the king who was openly weeping, not ashamed to display his grief in front of others.  _The man loved his wife._

The dragon murmured,  _When one dies they are gone but those who are left behind, they linger with grief. He is a good man, he will grieve for Jacinta but he will honor her memory._

An elderly courtier patted the King comfortingly. He composed himself and rose majestically, eyes still red.

"I am ashamed of falling under that witch's spell. And of not being there for my people and so many innocents dying under my watch. But I will make amends as best I can."

He promised a sum of money for each fallen maiden and courtier's families. He also promised to send his troops to the neighboring villages to ask for details of any missing girls and help them identify if they were kidnapped by Morganna.

King John cleared his throat. "Now to our noble champions who came to our aid unsolicited and freed us from that witch and her evil. Step forward please."

The room cleared in the middle. Tony and Pepper stepped forward and Tony pulled Happy to stand along with them.

The King stood next to Happy. "Hereald, is it? Noble serf from Lorinthia, for helping Carinthia, I gift thee four acres of field land for your own."

The crowd gasped as the King had effectively made Happy a landowner, a reward like no other.

Hereald bowed deeply and stepped back.

The King stood next to Pepper and smiled charmingly at her. He took her hand in his and kissed it. The crowd started to murmur and Pepper flushed. She was still in her lad disguise with floppy hat and baggy clothes. The King whispered to her, "Milady, before the crowd gets the wrong idea, perhaps you should let down your hair?"

She nodded and took off the hat and shook out her hair, reddish gold tresses gleaming in the light. Shocked whispers were heard and Pepper looked around nervously. Tony was distracted initially, as always by Pepper's open hair. The crowd's noise roused him and he stepped closer to her protectively, hand on sword hilt. But before he could speak, the King raised his hand and the crowd quietned.

"It is unconventional for a woman to fight alongside men and that too, defeat her opponent successfully. But we cannot churlishly deny this lady her accolades. Your name, my lady?"

"Virginia." she whispered and he said loudly, "To Lady Virginia for her bravery and skill on the battle field, I gift her a 100 gold coins and the finest mare from my stables, Aurora the White."

The crowd gasped as the mare in question, was a rare breed from over the mountains and dear to the King.

Pepper curtsied charmingly, very pleased with her gift.

The King nodded and moved to Tony. "Your good name, Sir?"

"My name is Anthony Edduard Stark."

The king huffed at them. "I have been a visitor to King Leoric's court and I have seen you there and I remember your full title."

Tony tensed and the dragon chortled.  _He knows who you are._

"Lord Anthony Stark, sole heir to the Stark line, knight of the iron legion. Your reputation precedes you."

The crowd started whispering again.

Tony said firmly "I am no longer a lord nor a knight. Just an ordinary landowner."

"Anthony, you may be many things but you are not ordinary. Seeing that, I would like to reinstate your noble stature and offer you a place in my Kingdom as a knight of Carinthia."

The crowd gasped and cheered and Pepper looked at Tony with wide eyes.

 _A chance of a lifetime. He offers you the chance to ascend once again into the realm of nobility and service to a king._ The dragon mused. _What say you Tony?_

Tony wondered,  _How does one politely refuse a king?_

Tony ignored the dragon's booming laugh in his head and said evenly, "Your highness, indeed your generosity knows no bounds. But regretfully I must decline..." The crowd gasped while the king looked at him thoughtfully. "I have ... I have a different path to follow in life and a courtly existence is not part of it. I'm truly sorry."

Tony looked straight at the king who was regarding him curiously. The monarch nodded regally and said, "I cannot command your loyalty and service but if not a knight, let me regard you as a friend of Carinthia as you have helped her in dire times. Friend, would you accept the dagger of Aramiah as a gift? Along with the holy rock from the sky?"

Once again, the crowd went wild and Tony bowed deeply.

 _It is a good gift ... bejeweled, beautifully, deadly..._ the dragon mused. _How ..._

 _I'm not going to sell the dagger, my friend. It is very valuable I know but I cannot sell a king's gift._ Tony told the dragon firmly, knowing that it preferred money to jewels and praise.

* * *

The next day, the entire population of the city gathered, to say goodbye to their beloved Queen Jacinta.

The streets were lined with mourners all shrouded in black, clutching rosemary and tulips. The funeral procession marched by solemnly, lead by King John, followed by the knights, elite infantry, courtiers and palace guards. There was nothing left of the Queen but ash, so the coffin was empty, save for her locket. The page boys stood at mid points on the street, swinging heavy lamps of incense.

The mood of the crowd was somber and some were openly weeping. Queen Jacinta was loved by one and many, for her kindness and strength and her generosity, especially in times of famine and drought. Flowers were gently thrown from the rooftops and balconies of the buildings overlooking the street.

Tony stared moodily at the procession from his vantage point. He and Happy were on horseback, on a bridge that ran parallel to the main street on which the procession was moving. Tony wanted to go home. He was tired for many reasons, mentally and physically. He also had a nasty hangover from his... activities on the previous night.

But he could not leave. He had promised King John, he would stay for another day. The King wanted to discuss Morganna's wickedness and Tony wanted to talk about it as well as it would be good to have the support and interest of a monarch like King John.

But this funeral depressed him and brought back a lot of unpleasant memories.  _I have been to so many funeral processions, you would think, I would be used to it. But no, I still feel the same... melancholy, sadness, grief._

He absently tapped his arc and then felt the scar on its left. A deep gash, courtesy of Morganna's nails.  _It will heal thanks to the yarrow root but the mark will remain on my skin. I am sure of it._

Then he tensed as he remembered who used the yarrow root. He shifted in his saddle, willing himself to block out the memories of last night.

Happy was busy thinking of what had happened to the Chamber of Bone. The King wanted it destroyed but it was on the lowest level of the castle, so breaking the room was not possible. Tony had suggested burning everything in it and barricading it from the outside. The King was so pleased that he went one step further and wanted the key to the room, melted in front of him, so no one could ever reenter that room.

Tony sighed deeply as it began to rain lightly. The falling rain, the endless sea of black, seemed to echo the dark thoughts in his head.  _I know why I am sad, I just... do not want to think about it._

Happy asked absently, "Tony, where is Pepper? Is she still sleeping? I thought she would want to be here for Queen Jacinta."

Tony grimaced.  _Now what should I tell Happy?_

He turned to Happy with a blank face. "Pepper left today morning for the village. She did not want to stay in Carinthia for another day."

Happy looked at him askance. "She left, on her own, to ride back alone... why could not she have waited? I mean, we could have gone with her, if you could not leave, at least I would have left..."

"Happy!" Tony cut him off. He did not want to hear Happy's thoughts on the subject as they so closely mirrored his own concerns about Pepper running off alone back to the village. The dragon chortled.  _You need not bother about Pepper any more, Anthony. She is an independent woman._

"Happy, let us not talk of Pepper any more, alright?"

Happy widened his eyes comically in horror. "What did you do now?"

Tony scowled at him, now angry because Happy had brought up the one thing he was trying very hard, not to think of. He sighed deeply. "Happy, I will explain about Pepper... soon... on the ride home, I promise."

* * *

It was a beautiful day. There was a light drizzle but the birds were singing, flowers were in bloom and the landscape was picturesque.

Pepper could not appreciate the road on the way to Carinthia because she was hiding in the donkey cart. And she could not do so now because her heart was too heavy.

Aurora nickered at her and she smiled and patted the great but delicate head of the beautiful horse that King John had gifted her. When she saw Aurora, it was love at first sight.

This was truly is a beast like no other, with its snowy white body, offset by a golden mane and tail. It had feathery tufts of hair around its hooves and pink soft nose. To add to its physical beauty, Aurora was so gentle and well-behaved. She moved like a cloud, fast but floating across the earth and responded to even the slightest command.

Pepper stroked the horse's mane thoughtfully.  _At least, if nothing else, I have this horse. Once again, King John, I thank you with all my heart._

She sighed deeply, the thought of what she was going to do, saddened her.

"But I have to do it." She said out loud to herself. "Come on, beauty," she gently urged the horse, "let us ride fast, so we reach Stark Keep by dawn."


	16. Amans Iratus Multa Mentitur

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well this is it.
> 
> To you who are reading this, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your kudos, comments, reviews, views, following .. just sticking with this story so far.

 

_Love is like a spice. It can sweeten your life - however it can spoil it too._

 

 

**_Late night in the Castle, the previous day_ **

 

Pepper crept quietly along the luxuriously carpeted hallway of the royal guest wing. King John had insisted they spend the night on his hospitality and they had been given a room each, in the upper wing of the castle. 

 

Pepper and the Blonde from Boron had dressed each other's wounds. She liked the young woman's friendly yet firm manner. Her name was Beatrice and like Pepper, she was tired of being a bystander while the men did all the fighting. She was fascinated by Pepper's skill and was astounded to hear that Lord Stark was the one who had taught Pepper how to fight. 

 

Pepper had said goodbye to the Blonde and while walking back to her room, suddenly realized that she hadn't seen Tony after they had come back from meeting King John. He hadn't come for dinner either which they had all had together as a group. 

 

_The stubborn man. I must find him. I must check if he's fine._

 

She slowly opened the first door on the other side of the landing. She peered into the room and saw Happy sprawled like a dog on his bed, arms and legs flung everywhere. Snoring deeply and sleeping soundly. She smiled and went in to pull a blanket over him.

 

Then she crept back out and went to the next door. She opened it to find the room was empty. 

 

_Oooh, where can that man be? He should be here somewhere._

 

She heard a loud clanging and clashing sound. _Something of iron falling over. There he must be._

 

She walked slowly to that room and knocked gently on the door. She didn't hear a response, so she opened it anyway.

 

Just as she expected, Tony was struggling to take off his armor on his own. Clearly he had fallen over as he was flat on his rump, legs spread comically and a confused expression on his face. His helmet was on the floor. 

 

_Well, that explains the noise._

 

Pepper huffed in amused exasperation and Tony looked at her dazedly. His eyes were bright but unfocused.

 

_Great, he is also foxed._ She came closer to him and sniffed the air suspiciously. _Yes, he's definitely drunk. That explains why he is still in his full suit of armor._

 

She extended a hand, which he ignored and pushed himself up with his arms. He swayed shakily as he straightened and she steadied him by catching him firmly. 

 

'Sit down Tony, we need to get your armor off." 

 

"Don't need your help, you. I'm fine. I don't need anyone's help."

He growled at her but she ignored him and gently steered him towards the foot of the bed where she urged him to sit down. 

 

He sat down and she knelt to pull his greaves off. He didn't resist but just stared at her blankly.  

 

"Tony, how much have you had to drink?"

 

"Not much" *hiccup* "just a smidgeon." *hiccup* "I needed it. Demon."

 

She looked at him then. He was staring at her with defiance in his eyes, as if daring her to leave. She pulled off his leg guards and he stood up then. She stood up as well. 

 

"Now Tony, stand still and let me help you." 

 

He ignored her again and pulled off his chest plate but stumbled and she caught him. 

 

"Tony, you are very drunk, will you stand still, please. Now give me the chest plate." 

 

She placed the plate on the bed and he began to take off his gauntlets. He placed each one reverently on the bed and she smiled at his tenderness for what were clearly his favorite parts of the armor. 

 

Then he turned slowly and she gasped at the red streaks on his white shirt. _I completely forgot how bad the gashes on his chest were!_

 

"Tony, I've got to dress your wounds! They are so deep and they might get infected. After all, there could have been dirt in Morganna's nails and it might have passed to your flesh." 

 

Tony was busy ignoring her and had walked over to the basin to splash his face vigorously with water. He seemed to be trying to wake himself from his drunken haze. 

 

_Well he can ignore me all he wants but I know the consequences of not dressing wounds._

 

She left the room and ran back to hers down the hall, to get the items she and the Blonde used and a pair of scissors. 

She came back to Tony's room. He warily looked at her like a cornered cat.

 

"Pepper, I do not need any dressing or what not. I am perfectly fine. Go back to your own room and good night."

 

She walked over to him and pushed his hands away, then she opened his shirt.  He tensed at that but let her do so.

 

She bit her lip on seeing the angry gashes on his chest, bloodied and deep. Her eyes started to fill with tears. _God's teeth, that bitch really hurt him, how could she? She's scarred him so badly._

 

Tony tightened his jaw and angrily said "If this is so upsetting to you, please leave. I can take care of myself." 

 

She looked at him and wiped at her eyes. "I'm not leaving, Tony, until I take care of your cuts. You need dressings. You may be the Iron Knight, but you are not made of iron, you know that right?"

 

He said nothing, just looked at a spot beyond her shoulder as she examined the cuts and scratches gently with her fingers. He just stood in place, perfectly still. She tutted and told him to sit on the edge of the bed. 

 

He obeyed her surprisingly and sat down, still staring at her warily. She filled a small bowl with vinegar. Then she came to the bed and pulled up a chair close to him, so she was sitting between his knees.

 

Satisfied that she could reach him easily, she cut up a small strip of cloth and dipped it in the vinegar. Then she dabbed at one of the gashes in his chest, the one on his left pectoral. He jerked at the sting but still did not say a word.

 

Pepper tried to distract herself from the sight of Tony's lightly furred, hard, muscular chest bared to her gaze. Even with the smell of alcohol on his breath, the scent of musk prevailed. She wanted to bite the taut slope where his broad, firm shoulder joined his neck.

 

_Pepper, now is not the time to fantasize about Tony! He needs tending to._

 

She counted the cuts as she dabbed them with vinegar to clean them. _One on each pectoral, one near the arc, three below the arc, oh... these nasty downward ones on his abdomen, wait there's one on his cheek..._ she lifted her gaze to his face, to catch him staring at her bandaged arm. _Hmmm...I thought he'd be looking down my dress._

 

She dabbed at the cut on his cheek and spoke. "I got scratched by one of Morganna's bone shards." Tony looked straight at her then, his gaze so dark and piercing, eyes melting molasses brown, that she momentarily forgot what she was saying.

 

"She... she had... erm... conjured up these shards of human bone from thin air and was throwing them at me. I got grazed on my arm and on my thigh." He gently ran his fingers over the bandage on her arm and her heart began to thump loudly in her chest.

 

Then he touched her thigh where the raised bandage was visible through her shift and she licked her lips. Suddenly her throat felt so dry. 

 

"Did they bleed badly? Any sign of infection or poison?" He asked so low, that she almost did not hear him.

 

"No, no, they were just flesh wounds, just cuts. The areas are just a little tender." 

 

He removed his hand and nodded jerkily and she wondered anew why he was so tense, so on edge. 

 

All the cuts were dabbed with vinegar and it was time for the yarrow root salve. She mixed it well with a spoon and coated the tips of her fingers with it. "I'm going to wipe this paste into each cut. This is going to sting quite a bit, Tony, so brace yourself."

 

He just stared blankly at the wall and she took a deep breath and started with the cut on his face. She rubbed the salve into the cut, feeling Tony's warm, stubbly cheek under her fingertips. 

 

Next were the cuts on his pectoral muscles. She swallowed as she suddenly realized what she was going to do. _I'm going to intimately massage this salve into this virile man's flesh. And I have to do it in 10 places. Come on Pepper, be mature. Do not act like a silly, lovestruck maid._

 

She gently rubbed the cut on his left side, massaging in the salve. This time, Tony hissed in pain and trembled. With her other hand, she brushed her palm over his jaw and soothingly murmured, "It is ok, it just stings for a little while and only for the first cut. Bear with it just a little longer." She shifted to his right side and did the same there. Tony just tightened his jaw and shifted his hips. 

 

Then she moved to the cuts near and just below the arc. She mentally admired the firm, warm flesh she was caressing with her fingertips. She could see the muscles in his neck move and his arc was unusually bright, the flame dancing riotously beneath the steel-enforced glass lid. The thought of laying her head on his appealing, warm chest and resting there, using him as a living pillow, was so appealing.

 

_Ok, ok , keep it together now... just the three left on his abdomen. His taut, muscled abdomen... which I now have to touch._

 

She slowly trailed her hands down to his abdomen. She rubbed the first cut and felt his abdomen muscles ripple powerfully under her touch. His entire chest flexed and he groaned loudly.

 

Pepper looked at him, very puzzled by his reaction. "It shouldn't have hurt you so much..."  She trailed off as she saw the front of his trousers tighten and a ridge of flesh appear. Suddenly, the intimacy of the situation occurred to her and Tony's reaction as well.

 

_I am sitting between his legs and caressing his bare chest intimately while he is sozzled._

 

Before meeting Tony, before Stane had come to her home and destroyed her life, she had a very sheltered existence and did not have any exposure to worldly knowledge. But from her time with the village women, most of whom were married AND Magdalene, who was a veritable fountain of knowledge, she had learnt a lot about men and their sexual habits. She may be a virgin but she knew enough to realize she had aroused Tony.

 

She flushed deeply, feeling her face and ears burn as Tony abruptly stood up and walked away from her, cursing under his breath. She stood up and looked at him. His chest was heaving and he was staring at the ceiling.

 

"Tony... I'm sorry, I did not mean to..."

 

Then she bit her lip as he stared at her, eyes blazing brightly. He seemed so angry that she was slightly scared. 

 

"Woman! Do you have any idea what you are doing? You do not come into a man's room at night and touch him! It is just not done! I am trying to control myself here!"

 

Pepper's feelings of shame turned into anger. "Do not raise your voice at me, Anthony Stark! I was simply trying to help you. I wanted to dress your wounds..." she swallowed and stared as his aroused state was now painfully obvious while he was standing up. 

 

"Tony, I... I was not trying to ... I mean, I did not realize what my touch was doing to you." 

 

He said angrily, "Lord save me from the naivety of virgins!" He turned his back to her and this for some reason, was unbearable to Pepper. She felt very calm and she knew, she knew she had to tell him, she had to tell him how she felt. 

 

"Tony, look at me please." He turned to stare at her darkly, his eyes still stormy.

 

She swallowed again and said firmly, "We did not meet under ideal circumstances. I lied to you about who I really was. But you came back for me, you saved me and then again, we had a..." He shook his head and she said pleadingly, "Hear me out please. I offered myself to you out of gratitude and you being a noble man, did not take what I was offering. I... I began to think highly of you then, not just gratitude. And you.." again she gulped.

 

Tony was looking at her with an unreadable expression in his eyes.

 

She carried on, raising her chin. "You helped me when I needed help the most. You taught me how to fight, how to be a warrior, you gave me courage and strength. I was destroyed and you helped me come together."

 

She continued, "You humbled me by taking me into battle with you, choosing my armor, caring for my well being, by treating me as your equal. You introduced me back to society, to the villagers. You did not want me on this adventure, I know I disobeyed you but I did so... not out of pride or spite but because... I could not bear to leave you. I wanted to stay by your side."

 

"When I saw the flame leave you and your life fade away, I felt as if my life was leaving me too. I realized that I ..., Tony, your friendship, your concern, your esteem for me... you are all that I have. And I treasure you with all my heart." The last was said on a whisper, she looked at him, her love in her eyes, trying to wordlessly tell him how she felt. 

 

"Tony, I, I have... feelings ff.."

 

"Virginia, let me stop you right there. Before you say something you will regret because I will not reciprocate. I do not want anyone in my life. I am not the kind of man who falls in love. Who "settles" down, who remains faithful to one woman."

 

"I am first and foremost, a knight of the realm, former as it were but still, a man of the sword. And a woman by my side," he took a deep breath here, "is not something I want or will ever want. I am destined for something greater. I do not want love in my life. Nor do I have any... any feelings for you." 

 

He said this in a cold and firm tone. Pepper listened to him dully. She felt a numbing sadness, a painful throbbing in her heart, at his words. 

 

_I've made a huge mistake._ The words echoed endlessly and repeatedly in her head.

 

He went on ruthlessly, looking at her intently, emotions flickering in his eyes. "I realize now how confusing some of my actions must have been to you. I felt nothing but pity for you. I taught you how to fight out of a sense of duty. I wanted you to be independent because you took up a lot of my time. It bored me soon, so I delegated it to Happy, who I felt, had the level of skill you needed." 

 

If he had plunged a sword into her heart, he could not have hurt her more. _Here I thought, he trained me because he wanted to, because he liked to. Nothing but duty._

 

He was looking at her very casually, head tilted to one side and she whispered now, trembling slightly, "What about that night...?" 

 

"Which night is that?" he inquired.

 

"The night in the salon, the night we almost kissed, I thought you..."

 

He again cut her off, laughing mirthlessly. "Oh that... Which red-blooded man would not want to kiss you? Come on, have you no sense of your own beauty? You are a very desirable woman. Today, my body could not control itself at your touch. Do not mistake lust for attachment. Never fear, you will make some farmer, a very happy, lucky man. This life of a warrior, adventures, fights, independence, it is not a life for you." 

 

His dismissal of the moonlit night, whose memory she treasured, clinched it for Pepper. _He does not have any feelings for me, he has made it very clear. Then why... why should I torture myself by staying with him? I cannot use his hospitality any more. I do not want his pity. It is time for me to wander again._  

 

She hardened her heart and lifted her chin. _Be strong, Pepper, do not show him how much his words have wounded you. Do not show him your heart. Walk away tall. Break down later._

 

Tony was staring at her intently.

 

She said firmly, determined to be as formal as he was, "Lord Stark, since you have been so frank with me, I must also be frank. I have no intention of settling down and making some farmer happy, as you so nicely put it. I want to live my own life. I want to see the world. I thank you for all your help and I will be eternally grateful."  

 

Her voice broke slightly at her next sentence, it was painful for her to say it. "I am a fool as I mistook your kindness for something deeper and I apologize. So you will understand when I say, I cannot impugn on your generosity any more. I will leave Stark Keep as soon as I return to Lorinthia." 

 

Something flickered in his eyes, some emotion but it was gone too quickly for her to make out. 

 

She bowed her head, suddenly tired. She felt as if she was relieving that horrible day when Stane entered her home and... _No, Pepper, do not think about it, do not think about what he did, not now please._

 

She was feeling the same feeling of losing something truly precious to her. Hopelessness and despair and the enormity of realizing she was once again, on her own.  

 

She did not realize till now, how much attachment she had, how much passion she felt for Lord Stark. There was a word for such emotions that she was struggling not to use.

 

_Can I use that word if only I felt it? If the feelings were all on my side... No, no, I can not, will not use that word, it was just a foolish yearning on my part._ She could feel her eyes pricking, holding back tears was pure torture now. 

 

She turned blindly and walked to the door, head still down. He did not say anything.

 

She opened the door but could not bear to look at him. She whispered "Goodbye, Lord Stark" to nothing and slowly walked to her room, down the hallway, tears slowly pooling and falling from her eyes onto the floor. 

 

 

* * *

 

Tony walked to the side table and picked up the jug of ale, raised it to his lips and drank and drank deeply, until he felt his lungs would burst from the lack of oxygen. He set it down when it was finally empty and wiped his lips with the back of his arm. He closed his eyes tightly, trying to block out the sight of Pepper's wide, deep blue eyes, shimmering at him with sadness, with despair, with hopes destroyed. 

 

_That's... the end of that, I guess. She's leaving. It is for the best. It is what I wanted._

 

The room started to spin. His head was pounding now, chest burning from the salve. He collapsed to the floor, once again on his ass. The dragon whispered _Did you? Did you get what you wanted, Anthony? What was it that you wanted? I'm struggling to understand._

 

Tony grimaced through the pain in his head. _Did you see the wounds on her arm and thigh? Did you see the anguish on her face when she killed Morganna? When she looked at the blood on her hands? Happy told me it was a close fight. She could have died._

 

_So ..._.drawled the dragon. _You preferred to viciously break her heart, rather than tell her you were scared for her well being and sad that she had to see death? Hmmmmmm.. did you see the sadness in her eyes just now? She wanted to tell you she lo...._

 

"Damn it, Dragon! Everything I have ever loved, has died around me! Everything!" Tony shouted out loud. "You know this! Either I reach to see their bodies or they fade away in my arms. I do not want to feel that pain ever again. I do not want to be attached to anyone anymore. I do not, cannot bear to..." he trailed off here as painful memories assailed him. 

 

First his parents beaten, throats slit, all because the assassin was searching for Lord Stark, Iron Legion Knight and had found them instead. 

 

Then James Rhodes, another Iron Legion knight, his right hand man, his best friend from his days as a squire. His counsel was always sound, yet he ignored Rhodey's advice and went charging into the snow filled valley. And instead of leaving him to his fate, loyal Rhodey followed him in and ended up dying in the cold. 

 

Tony shivered at the memory. His entire troop had been massacred in the Battle of Nioh. Men he had known for years. Good men with wives and families. Yet only he survived. 

 

"Then Yin Sen. I was busy fighting with my new strength and that Raza, Stane's stoogie killed him. I should have protected him."

 

Here the dragon interjected angrily. _Anthony, you are dangerously indulging in self pity. I'm sorry for your men. But there are always casualties of war. Yin Sen died with the nobility that befits a knight of Ryunn. He himself admitted that he wanted to pass on the flame and go to his family. You cannot blame yourself._

 

Tony argued back, "What about Morganna? She was just a silly woman. I could have been a better man, I could have let her down gently. Could there have been a way to save her?"

 

Again the dragon huffed. _She was weak if she judged her own worth by what a man thinks of her. And yes, you could have been more circumspect. But Morganna chose to align herself with darkness and got what she deserved._  

 

_Think of the good you do. You have saved so many people. You saved Pepper. And you are sad she experienced death. How do you know she hasn't seen it before ? You cannot protect her forever, it is better you are there to support her in her trials, rather than try to shield them from her._

 

Tony paced up and down. "I know I hurt her badly but..." 

 

_Anthony, the truth is, you don't want to admit that you love her. But love her deeply you do._ Said the dragon so gently that Tony stopped walking with shock. _Do not run from love. It is a force more powerful than fire, hate, fear and can live eternally. Of all the seasons in your life, for once you should experience the sunshine warmth of genuine love and have your love returned._

 

The dragon yawned, _Never mind, Anthony. I've lived for centuries and seen that often, when something is lost, then only do we realize how much we need it. You need some time apart from Pepper to realize that you cannot live in peace without her._

_Ah ah ah.._ Tony was about to interrupt _... no point arguing with me. I know what I know and I know that you are not so foolish to let someone like that walk away. You need to realize this eventually but on your own. You cannot avoid love because you are afraid of losing it. Tsk Tsk._

 

Tony said bitterly "Even if I ... I mean Pepper will never think of me again. She hates me now. She hates me." He whispered the words, painful even to be said aloud.

 

_Well ... Once you do realize this truth and admit it clearly to yourself, you will do anything to get Pepper back. And I know, Pepper will try her best but s_ _he will not be able to cut you out of her heart. She can't._

 

The dragon chuckled here. _It will be fun seeing you struggle and woo her back. Women are made for making men realize their mistakes._

 

Again it yawned and Tony yawned too. _Now sleep, Tony. Sleep. Tomorrow is a new day. Soon we will be called to another trial. I can sense it. Morganna summoning the demon, could not have been a coincidence._ _The horsemen charging down the mountain towards the very village you live near ... again, not a coincidence._ _There is an evil force working in the background. These events are all part of its grand plan._

 

Tony lay down on the bed, tapping his arc for comfort, closing his eyes tiredly. He dreamt of the giant moon that he saw when Morganna had taken the flame from him, in the realm between the living and the dying. The moon of shimmering cerulean blue, was so far. He saw it move further and further away as he tried to drift closer. And then it turned into a phoenix of reddish gold, flames dancing in the blackness and flew far, far away, out of sight. Tony floated in the darkness, feeling empty and alone. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title "Amans iratus multa mentitur" is a Latin proverb that means "An angry lover tells himself many lies"
> 
> So this is the end of Tony and Pepper. Maybe. Nah...
> 
> I had a very eye opening conversation with an amazing Pepperony guru (you know who you are) who told me that Tony and Pepper are two flawed individuals who work at their relationship. So I decided Tony should see what life would be like without Pepper. He 's stupidly trying to run away from his feelings.
> 
> And Pepper ? She needs some time on her own as well. She needs some time to heal.
> 
> The Iron Knight and Lady Virginia will return soon in a new adventure: Something Celestial This Way Comes.
> 
> Once again, I plan (I hope) to update every day, so bear with me as I start the next adventure after a short break.
> 
> P.S. I could not resist adding the moon. I may be turning into a werewolf.


End file.
